


The Fern that Lived

by MMutatkar



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Betrayal, Death, F/F, F/M, Family, Hope, Love, Pain, Rewrite, Romance, Soul-Searching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:55:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 63,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25205839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MMutatkar/pseuds/MMutatkar
Summary: Some things don't come easily, and some things don't go easily. Anger and forgiveness are two sides of the same coin. So what happens when blood is threatened by steel?Four years after the events of the first part, Joel goes missing. Ellie, haunted by his recent confession, is forced to confront herself and set out on a journey to question the truths and lies that made up her life. A road paved with love, pain and hope, she soon realises that a far more unforgiving force lurks in their lives.
Relationships: Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us), Maria/Tommy (The Last of Us)
Comments: 108
Kudos: 179





	1. Prologue

The man sat at the table in his office. His guns lay on the table behind him. He smoked the cigar, puffing out a plume of smoke before extinguishing it. He watched the falling snow through the window, before pulling out a few maps from the drawer. He rapidly flipped through them until he settled on one and threw the others haphazardly to the side. He unfolded it and scratched his unkempt beard. Then, he made several markings on it with his pen. 

There was a knock at the door before it opened, revealing a man clad in green clothing. He stepped in and stood silently before the other man, watching him work at the large sheet of paper in front of him. Finally, the other man took notice. 

“Are you and Trent ready to leave?” he asked, his voice raspy from years of inveterate smoking. 

“Yes,” the green-clothed man answered. 

“Good. Look here.” He traced a line with his finger up to a pen marking. “You can follow this route. It should get you there without a hitch.” He moved his finger again, hovering over a spot on the map before firmly pressing it down. “Here. That’s where I want your team and Trent’s after it’s done.” 

“Understood.” 

“There are a few towns nearby that you can wait in. If something goes wrong, I want you to be close by.” 

“Understood.” 

“Once Trent is done, I want you to keep an eye on the town for a few days.” He handed the map to him. “If necessary, use force. I don’t care who has to pay the price. Don’t fuck this up,” he said, as he sat down. 

“I won’t.” The man dismissed himself. 

The seated man looked at his now empty table absent-mindedly. He drummed his fingers on the edge, the bullet wound on his hand in full display.


	2. The Party

Ellie sat on the bar stool, her back against the counter. Her auburn hair was pulled back messily, while a few strands dangled carelessly across the left side of her face. The glass in her hand made its way up to her lips every few seconds as she eyed the festivities of the evening. She watched as the people of Jackson danced to the music and talked amongst themselves. 

A unanimous decision had been taken at the town’s weekly meeting to throw a soiree at the town bar. It was a harsh winter that year, and it was realised that a gathering of this sort could do wonders to take everyone’s mind off the issues plaguing them. The tables had been stacked up neatly along the walls, turning the entire place into a large dance floor. Yellow lights decorated the ceiling, running from one corner of the room to the other. 

Ellie quietly sipped at her drink before a familiar pony-tailed man took the seat next to hers. 

“Having fun?” Tommy asked as Arin poured him a drink. His hair had greyed over the years Ellie had been in Jackson and his face now wore a tired expression from his multiple duties. Still, age had done nothing to dampen his spirits. 

“Considering I’ve been here about five minutes, yeah,” she replied, her eyes still focused on the dance floor. 

Tommy followed her gaze. He took a large swig of his glass before he spoke. “What was wrong at the outpost?” 

“A bunch of runners had damaged the door. Didn’t take long to fix though.” 

“That close? I usually never find them until we’re past the rocks.” 

“Yeah”. Ellie shrugged. “Some of them made it up there. It was just a couple, so, no big deal.” 

“Are you sure you don’t want a partner with you to make these trips? They get boring after a while, and dangerous when there’s one too many infected.” 

“I’m fine. It gives me some time to myself.” 

“It’s not like you don’t have enough of that,” he said. 

She looked at him, eyebrows raised. 

“You know what I mean,” he quickly added. 

“How’d your scout go?” she asked, ignoring his statement. 

“Not too bad. Found a clicker but other than that, nothin’ too exciting.” 

“Well, a clicker’s always better than a bloater.” 

“I’ll drink to that,” he replied. He downed his glass before passing it to Arin to refill. He looked at the people gathered. “It’s been a busy few weeks. It does feel good to have everybody in here, enjoying themselves and not worrying about things, even if it’s just for a little while.” 

“It does,” she replied. “I could do with more of this.” 

“I agree. Anyway…” Tommy began, “Since you’ve been working hard lately and we haven’t seen you enough, Maria and I thought it would be nice to have you over for dinner over the weekend.” 

“Are you making that soup again?” 

“If I did, would you come?” 

“Not a chance.” 

Tommy chuckled. “Well, Maria’s cooking. I’m just on clean-up duty. You could bring your guitar along and the three of us will have a great time.” 

“That sounds like a plan. I can get something to help you guys out.” 

“Like the last time you made cake?” Tommy jested. 

“Hey, I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to keep it in there that long,” Ellie protested. 

“Olivia wasn’t too thrilled having to clean the oven, you know?” 

“I don’t think I’m ever gonna show my face to her.” 

“She sure as hell isn’t lettin’ you near ‘em,” he said, making Ellie laugh humorlessly. 

There was a silence between them before Tommy spoke again. “You think Joel should’ve been back by now? It’s been nearly a week. I know it’s probably nothing, with the weather being bad and all, but I thought I should just let you know about it.” 

“I’m sure he’s fine.” 

“I know he came to speak to you before he left for New Town, and I know as well that it’s between you and Joel, all of this, but, if you need to talk about this to anyone, you should know that I’m there.” 

“Alright.” 

“I’m not saying you have to. Just that, if you ever do, Maria and I will listen.” 

“Sure. I’ll keep it in mind.” 

“Okay, good. You enjoy the evening then.” He finished the remainder of his alcohol. “I should get going,” he told her before leaving. 

Ellie sighed. She ran her eyes over the occupants of the bar again, settling on Dina. The girl dressed impeccably well, her black hair pulled into a bun, her maroon full sleeves complimenting her jeans. 

Ellie watched her as she gracefully moved to the tune with Cat. It wasn’t a song Ellie was familiar with, but she made a mental note to ask Arin what tape it was. In the meantime, she handed him her glass. 

Cat was soon replaced by Jesse. He moved pretty well, despite the fact that he’d been shot in his leg at the start of the year by a bandit. They danced for a short while before Dina looked over Jesse’s shoulder, catching Ellie’s gaze. For an instant, the two of them looked at each other. Then Jesse kissed her. 

Ellie exhaled softly. She put her glass down on the counter and got to her feet. 

“Already done?” Arin asked. 

“Yeah. Mind if I sit in the back for a bit?” 

“When the party’s inside and there’s no snow here? Sure, be my guest.” 

She headed for the backdoor and stepped onto the porch. It wasn’t snowing then, but that didn’t make it any less cold. She stood there for a moment, her breath misting as she looked around the small backyard, before spotting Arin’s guitar rested against the chair. 

She picked it up. It was a pretty new one, and similar to the one she owned. She remembered having played it a couple of months ago. Arin had probably forgotten it out here knowing the kind of person he was, but she didn’t have to return it that instant. She settled down on one of the cold wooden chairs and placed the guitar on her lap. 

Her right thumb gently strummed the strings, checking to see if it was tuned. Joel had her taught her how to play the guitar when they’d arrived at Jackson, and ever since then, she’d been playing it. It had started out with him teaching her his favourite songs, but as she got better, she could play songs by ear. 

Her left hand moved of its accord across the fretboard, while her right hand kept up, the melody flowing through her notes. At first, she simply plucked the notes. As she played on, she found herself softly humming along to the playing and finally, singing. 

In those moments, everything vanished for her. Her eyes closed, letting her fingers explore the music and her subconscious, to play what it desired. 

“That was really good.” 

Ellie sat up, startled. 

Dina was leaning against the door, listening to her play. Ellie had been so absorbed, she hadn’t heard the other girl step out of the bar and stand there. 

“H-Hey. I didn’t realise you were out here,” Ellie quickly replied before her brain could lapse on itself again. 

“It got a little stuffy in there. Thought I’d come out here for a breather.” 

“I didn’t know you and Jesse were back together.” 

“You saw that?” Dina asked, her cheeks reddening. 

“Yeah.” 

“Don’t know what that was. I thought it was done. I think he just needs some time to himself.” 

“Maybe…” Ellie replied softly. 

“How come you’ve never played for me?” Dina asked, quickly changing the subject as she sat down on the other chair 

“Well, you just never asked.” 

“Play something for me, then.” 

“What, now?” Ellie asked uncertainly. 

“Yeah?” 

She took a deep breath and pressed her fingers on the strings. She expected herself to stiffen up as soon as she began playing, but to her surprise, she felt unusually calmed, finding her voice at the beginning itself. As she played, she looked up at Dina. The other girl had a mesmerized expression on her face as her eyes intently followed Ellie’s fingers dancing across the strings. It only gave her the encouragement to play further. 

Ellie ended the song with a final strum, setting the guitar down next to her. “There you go.” 

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone play it that way,” Dina said. 

“Oh, come on, I’m sure it wasn’t that great,” Ellie replied, unable to contain a small smile. 

Dina smiled back. “You know, I haven’t seen you in a while,” she said. “What’s been up with you?” 

“Just a lot of work. The wall repairs, as usual, and there’s been a lot of sightings lately, so Maria’s been sending me to the closer outposts to check for any damage.” 

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Dina said. “Last week I ran into six runners alone. It wasn’t fun at all. But generally, it’s always the runners. It’s the special occasions when I see a clicker.” 

“I don’t think I’ve seen a clicker in weeks,” Ellie replied. “Those fuckers creep me out anyway.” 

“I’d rather just not see any of them.” 

“Or that. Do you know where Maria is sending you tomorrow?” 

“Wait, the scout meeting is tomorrow? I completely forgot about that,” Dina said, slapping her forehead. 

“I bet Maria wouldn’t be too happy if you skipped out on it,” Ellie said. 

“No, she wouldn’t. I remember when you slept in that time for the town meeting.” Dina grinned at her. 

Ellie groaned. “It was your fault. You kept me up the night before because you wanted to look at the stars.” 

“But you did have fun.” 

“No, I didn’t,” Ellie scoffed, but her face betrayed her emotions. Her lips curled into a smile as she leaned back comfortably. 

“I have to babysit Niela’s kid tomorrow,” Dina said. “I’m not looking forward to that at all.” 

“Who? Nora?” 

“Yeah. Why don’t you drop by?” Dina suggested. “I’m sure with the other kids around, it’s going to end up in a snow fight.” 

“I could,” Ellie replied. “That kid sure has an arm on her.” She looked behind her. “Looks like we’ve been out here for a while. The music’s stopped.” 

“We have? That went a lot faster than I expected. You going back home now?” 

Ellie nodded. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow at the scout meeting, then? On time?” 

“I’ll be there before you, you’ll see,” Ellie replied. 

“Oh yeah. I have a lot of faith.” 

* 

Ellie woke up earlier than she normally did the next morning. She threw on her white crewcut and a pair of jeans. She gave an exasperated sigh as she looked at her messy hair in the mirror, giving it up as a bad job before even starting. Pulling on her jacket, she left her small house. It was time to head to Maria and Tommy’s for the scout meeting. 

As she made her way through the snowy streets, she nodded at the people she knew. It was not too early in the morning, evidenced by the activity. Ellie’s house was reasonably close to theirs, but the snow made the journey tedious, to say the least. 

The bakery was open and Ellie could sniff the warm bread as she neared its door. She took a quick peek in and noticed Olivia, deciding almost immediately to book it away from there. Getting a scowl from her first thing in the morning wasn’t the most ideal way to begin her day. 

Walking on, she let her thoughts roam to the events of the last night. It wasn’t as bad as she’d imagined it would be. Initially reluctant, she was glad she made the decision to go. She felt a tinge of excitement about the rest of the day. 

Reaching her destination, she knocked on the door. Footsteps followed and Maria let her in. 

Ellie had always liked their house. Maria and Tommy had made sure she felt comfortable by inviting her and Joel every few weeks. Tommy had often taken her on hunting trips and liked to show off the rifles he kept in the spare room. Like him, she had also taken to the hunting rifle. 

Since Maria was in charge of the community, her house operated as the ‘headquarters’. All weekly scout meetings were held in the living room which could house at least fifteen people at one time. It was a large building, which consisted of an upper floor as well, where the bedrooms were. 

“C’mere Ellie,” Maria said, leading her to the dining room table. “You’re early today.” 

“Yeah… I just woke up earlier and thought I’d just come over. Where’s Tommy?” Ellie asked, looking around. 

“He’s at Jacob’s. His rifle wasn’t shooting properly. Do you want some coffee?” 

“You know I don’t like it.” Ellie made a face. 

“How Joel never succeeded in making you like coffee, I’ll never understand. He has more coffee in his house than clothes.” 

“I’ve seen it. It just tastes… terrible.” 

“Don’t let Tommy catch you saying that,” Maria said. 

“He asked me to come over for dinner over the weekend,” she told Maria, remembering his invitation. 

“I thought it would be a nice change for you. You sure you don’t want to try the coffee I make?” Maria asked, earning a flat no from Ellie in response. She made herself some and returned to the table. “You doing okay?” she hesitantly asked. 

Ellie looked confused. “What do you mean?” 

Maria sighed softly. “I mean, with you and Joel,” she said, receiving a groan from Ellie in response. “I don’t know what’s been going on between you two, but it looks like Joel and you have some things you need to talk about.” 

“Come on, Maria. First Tommy, and now you. We’re fine. There’s nothing wrong.” 

“It really doesn’t look fine, Ellie. Something’s clearly bothering you. I’ve seen it for a while now.” 

“I swear, nothing is bothering me. Will you just let it go?” 

Maria nodded in resignation. “Look, I won’t bring this up again, but you should know that Joel really cares about you. He’s a good guy and he’s always looked out for you.” 

Ellie was silent for an instant. As she was about to speak, there was a knock at the door. 

The older woman looked at Ellie. “Just think about it.” With that, she hurried away to attend to the door. 

It was Jesse. Within a few minutes of his arrival, the others turned up as well. All of them crowded into the living room to hear what their scouts for the week would be. It was a fairly simple system- Maria would hold meetings for different aspects of the community administration. It was largely broken down into scouting, internal matters and repairs. 

Ellie had, for the most part, been a part of the repairs group. She was good at it, and she was good at taking on the infected. Her switchblade had put to rest more infected than she could count. Maria had felt Ellie could do some more scouting as well, resulting in her being called to the scout meeting. 

“Zaid, you’re at Outpost 1,” Maria said, once everyone had settled down. She looked at the paper in her hand and began reading it out. Finally, she arrived at Ellie. “You’re at Outpost 2, Ellie. It’s close by, so you can easily reach it. Remind me to give you a new log book as well. The older one’s almost finished.” 

Ellie hadn’t been to any of the outposts except for Outpost 1, so Outpost 2 was a welcome change. They were located all around Jackson, with some of the farthest being nearly thirty miles from the community and requiring a two-days trip. On a scouting trip, members were expected to clear the infected and watch for hordes. This made sure that lesser danger would make it to the areas closer to the walls. 

“Dina and Jesse. You’re on Outpost 8.” 

“Uh…” Dina and Jesse started together. 

“You two are the only ones besides Joel and Tommy who know the place well,” Maria replied before the pair had any chance to argue their reasons. “I can’t send anyone else there right now with Joel not here.” Maria put the book down. 

When the meeting ended, Ellie left with Dina. 

“That is going to be one fun trip,” Dina said, shaking her head in disbelief. 

“It won’t be that bad, maybe?” 

“Fuck it. I’m heading to watch Nora. You coming?” 

Ellie looked in the direction of her house. “Yeah, sure. Let’s go.”


	3. Outpost 8

_Ellie slammed her side into the door, planting her feet firmly into the ground as the infected put their weight onto the metal from the other side. She could feel the door giving way, yet as she held on for dear life, there were rhythmic knocks on the door, paced out at first, but getting impatient. Then a voice called out to her._

Ellie’s eyes flew open. She realised she was in her bed, her blanket curled off to one side and one foot sticking out of the bed. Breathing a sigh of relief, she sat up. She looked at her clock. It was just past eight. 

“Ellie? Wake up!” Someone was at the door. 

“What the fuck,” she muttered. “I’m coming!” she yelled back when the knocking wouldn’t stop. “Jesus.” She opened it to find Dina. 

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” Dina said, eyeing Ellie’s demeanor. 

“Shut up. What are you doing here?” 

“Jesse got sick last night so he’s not going to make it with me today. Maria said I could take you.” 

“To your outpost? What about mine?” Ellie asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. 

“Well, she said she’d have someone else cover it.” 

“Do I get a say in any of this?” 

“No.” 

“Fine. Give me a minute.” Ellie closed the door and yawned. She looked at her slightly untidy house. One of these days she would get around to cleaning it up but… today was not the day. 

Changing her clothes, she looked around for her bag, at last finding it lying under her table. It had been with her for years now, and she’d made suitable modifications to it. There was a holder to secure her rifle on one side, and another weapon on the other. She used the bag as a quiver whenever she took the bow with her. But right now, the rifle would suffice. Multiple compartments allowed her to separate things like food and medicine, as well as pick up new stuff she came across. 

She belted her pistol and knife holsters and headed to the door, finding Dina sitting on the steps outside. 

“Ready to go?” Dina asked. 

“Sure.” 

They began walking towards the stables. All scouts were provided with horses, and Graham looked after them. He was known in the town to be able to tame nearly any horse, and that had worked well for the community over the years. He had a way with the beasts, and no one else had come to Maria’s mind when the position of stablemaster had come up. 

“Are you wearing yesterday’s clothes?” Dina asked as the two of them trudged along the streets. 

“There’s nothing wrong with them. They smell fine.” 

“Of course, I can smell the roses from here.” The two of them laughed. 

Ellie suddenly felt pain shoot up her side. 

“It still hurts?” Dina asked, concerned. 

“Yeah. I never knew you could get hurt in a snowfight,” Ellie replied, massaging the bruise. 

“It wasn’t your fault really. Even I would’ve slipped on that surface. Besides, it’s not like we didn’t fuck them up.” 

“We definitely won that round.” 

“Oh yes, we did,” Dina said, nodding her head. 

They opened the enclosure adjacent to the stables. In the summer, Graham let the horses roam around in the large open area. However, with the winter well settled in, it felt safer to keep them warm inside. 

“You girls heading out?” he asked when he saw them approaching. 

“Outpost 8,” Dina replied. 

“That one’s far off. And the road isn’t great. Remember to walk the horses carefully. I don’t want to have to put down any of them.” 

“Just like every time I say this, I promise we’ll be careful.” 

Ellie walked past the other horses until she reached Chucky. “Hey, boy,” she said lovingly, scratching his neck. “You miss me?” 

The horse neighed. 

“I missed you too. Come on, we got a long ride ahead of us.” 

“Let’s go Ellie,” Dina said, appearing next to her on her horse. 

The duo rode out towards the gates. The stables were a short distance from them. The entrance was guarded by three armed members standing on elevated towers on either side. Large lights adorned each post, allowing them vision outside the walls at night. Rarely did the infected make it until there, and if they did, they never made it back. The large metal gates were operated by another man, who let Ellie and Dina out. 

Outpost 8 was the farthest from the town, and had the worst terrain around it. Reaching it would, invariably, take a day’s worth of ride with the various climbs and descents. And with winter and the night arriving sooner, their day was further cut short. The horses were unable to gallop far in the combination of the hilly areas and the snow, instead forcing them to a steady trot. 

The two made their way up the snowy hillside, using the trees along the sides as a guiding path. Jackson was built in the shadows of the hills around it, keeping it away from prying eyes, largely those of the infected. From the hills, they could see the entirety of the town. 

“It looks beautiful,” Dina said, turning her horse around to admire their home. 

“It does,” Ellie agreed. “Makes it look so small from up here.” 

“Reminds me of when I first saw this place. It seemed like… home.” 

“Yeah. I remember when I saw it for the first time, too. I’d never seen anything like it before.” 

“I know what you mean,” Dina said. “The first time I went with Tommy to the hydro plant, it blew me away. I’d read about stuff like that before, but it was the first time I’d seen it.” 

“The first time I saw the plant, we were attacked by bandits. I had to wait with Maria while Joel, Tommy and a couple of others cleared them.” 

“Your first time with a lot of things seem to be exciting.” 

“You wish.” 

They nudged the horses towards the path. 

“So, how often do you go to the outpost?” Ellie asked her. 

“Once in two-three weeks? Sometimes lesser if someone else has been there. I’ve gotten used to it now. And so, has Saber.” Dina gently stroked the animal. “I’ve never asked you this, have I? What’s the most infected you’ve killed at a time?” 

“Dozen maybe? Don’t ask me how I did it. What’s yours?” 

“About twenty,” she replied proudly. 

“Bullshit,” Ellie said in disbelief. “There’s no way you could take on twenty at once.” 

“Okay, maybe I had a bit of help,” Dina admitted. “But it was mostly me. Eugene and I were clearing out an outpost that we hadn’t used in a year. They were all over the place. I even managed to take down a few clickers.” 

“That’s honestly the most I’ve heard anyone take on at one time.” 

“Yeah. Eugene was a on a good trip before he saw them. That ended really quick.” 

The trip to the outpost was unimaginably monotonous at that time of the year. White sheets covered the whole area, with the trees barely showing any green. Neither did the sun shine through, instead, a dull grey followed through the day. The horses left heavy prints in the snow that wouldn’t last even for a few hours. 

It was early evening when they came to a turn-off on the road. Dina led them down the path and a few minutes later, a large house loomed in the distance. Commonly called the McMillan House, it was a run-down structure, characterized by a large gaping hole on the upper floor. It looked rustic, yet, it was oddly charming. 

“There,” Dina said, pointing at it. “That’s where we go.” 

The sun had nearly disappeared at end of the horizon now, with the light fading away rapidly. They had made it just in time. Being out in the night with the infected wasn’t the brightest decision to make. 

As they neared the house, Ellie spotted the runners. They stood in the snow, barely moving. From time to time, their heads would spasm for a second, before they quickly quieted down. 

“There’s about four of them,” Ellie counted. “Shouldn’t be too difficult.” 

They got off their horses, keeping them a safe distance away before they stealthily moved towards them. Ellie was right. The infected barely had time to respond before they were quickly put down with the girls’ knives. One of the infected had managed to hear Ellie, but it was far too slow for her. A few short seconds later, the front of the house was decorated by corpses. 

The two pocketed their knives and guided the horses by the reins into the garage. As soon as they stepped inside the building, there was a tangible temperature change. 

“I fucking hate the snow,” Ellie complained. 

“That makes two of us,” Dina replied, petting Saber. “Here, let me show you around.” 

She led Ellie into the house. Rubble was piled into various corners of the house. At a first glance, Ellie would never have guessed that this was being used as an outpost. The windows were boarded up with large planks of wood. The place was largely barren, with some rotten furniture littered around. The kitchen was empty as well, bedecked by thick cobwebs. A staircase led to the upper floor. 

The first floor was similar to the condition of the lower floor. There were a few rooms, one of them with part of the roof caved in, and a large balcony that looked over the front of the house. Nestled in the embrace of the mountainous terrain, it was beautiful, especially when spring came around. 

“This is all of the outpost?” Ellie asked. The place would definitely be a perfect setting for the kind of horror movies she enjoyed watching. 

“You wish,” Dina replied, a sly smile playing on her lips. She walked over to one of the rubble piles and looked at Ellie. “Help me move this.” 

Ellie was now intrigued. She shoved aside some of the rubble when suddenly, she noticed the handle. “Is that-” 

“That’s the entrance. Welcome to Outpost 8,” Dina said, lifting up the trapdoor. 

A wooden staircase led down into the basement, creaking in protest as they walked down. It was pitch dark down there, but Ellie could make out shapes. She expected it to smell musty, but was surprised when it didn’t. Dina disappeared to the side and Ellie heard the sound of a motor before the lights turned on. 

It was larger than Ellie anticipated, and far cozier than a normal outpost. On one side sat a long table strewn with metal parts and a few books. A couple of chairs took up the space in front of it. A few couches were placed in a U-shape, while some cabinets lining a wall. A small red carpet covered the area between the seating area. 

“Holy shit,” Ellie muttered, looking around. “This is way better than I thought. I’ve always had to use the sleeping bags at the outposts I’ve been to.” 

“I know. Joel and Tommy worked for a while on this place. Which reminds me, can you sign us in in the log book? It’s in the second drawer.” 

Ellie took the book out and placed it on the table. All outposts had their own logs of all the scouts that had been there. She looked at the names, seeing it dominated by Joel and Tommy, and Dina and Jesse, with barely any other names on it. She added theirs in the next box, noticing that she had a tiny smile. 

“You done?” Dina asked, noticing that Ellie was taking longer than needed to just add in two names. She had seated herself cross-legged on the large couch, her bag leant against it. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Ellie replied, returning the book to its place. She took off her bag and took a seat next to Dina. “So, what do you normally do here?” 

“Well, it’s always late whenever we reach, so we just have dinner, talk for a while and then sleep.” 

“I’m getting kinda hungry, now that you’ve reminded me.” 

“Let’s eat then. Oh! And there’s a cassette player that Tommy got in that cabinet. Do you want to listen to some music?” 

“I wouldn’t mind some actually. You go put it on, and I’ll get the food out,” Ellie said. 

“Setting the mood, am I?” 

Ellie felt herself go red as Dina went over to get the player. She shook her head, as if trying to shake the color away. She reached into her bag, pulling out two cans. Fishing around for the spoons, she found them wrapped in her scarf. 

“This sound good?” Dina asked as the music began to play. 

“I like this one. Leave it on,” Ellie replied, opening the cans with her blade and handing one to the other girl. 

The two sat comfortably on the couch, digging into their food. The room was warm enough for them to remove their jackets without shivering themselves to death. Soon, they sat with their legs stretched on either end of the couch. The clang of spoons against the metal seemed to keep up with the music as Ellie and Dina talked. 

“Oh, really then? What’s the last movie you watched?” Dina asked. 

“The Night Werewolf,” Ellie answered dramatically. “It was terrible and I loved it.” 

“What the hell is that?” 

“Okay, so, get this. A scientist makes a potion from a wolf’s blood, but because he hunted it under a full moon, he becomes cursed and turns into a werewolf. And he can only be saved by a woman who is also a werewolf and they have to kiss under the moon.” Ellie realised how ludicrous it sounded and began laughing. 

Even Dina had to laugh. “That’s just ridiculous. Is that even a real movie?” 

“I’m serious! It was so bad; it was good. And it’s a pretty old movie too. It’s fun watching stuff like that.” 

“You have weird tastes, Ellie,” Dina said, her laughter subsiding. She placed her empty can on the floor and stood up, extending her hand to Ellie. “Care for a dance?” 

“Uh…” Before Ellie could grasp the question properly, Dina yanked her up by the hand and placed her arms around Ellie’s neck. Ellie felt herself stiffen as the two swayed softly to the song. It was the first time they’d danced alone. 

“You need to relax, Ellie,” Dina said. 

Ellie only nodded, suddenly rendered unable to form coherent sentences. 

The song changed, but neither of them halted. A silence had enveloped them. Nothing else made a sound as the music took over. Ellie’s breath was becoming more and more erratic as her feelings overpowered her. 

“You know,” Dina began, “the other night, I got out of the bar because I saw you out there and that’s where I felt like I wanted to be…” she trailed off. 

“Yeah. Cool. Me too. Fun,” Ellie replied as if she was cutting something with her voice. 

Dina chuckled. “You never get the hints, do you?” She pressed her lips to Ellie’s. 

Ellie froze. For an instant, she stared wide-eyed before she realised she was supposed to close her eyes. Her lips melted against Dina’s as she felt the heat rise in her cheeks. 

Dina’s taste was intoxicating and all of a sudden, the only thought that lingered in her head was to kiss Dina back. Her hands rose out of their own volition and cupped Dina’s face firmly as she could feel the girl’s hot breath. Then, they wrapped around her and pulled her closer. 

A soft moan escaped Dina’s lips, and Ellie could feel their hearts beating faster. A giddiness enveloped her mind, a euphoric feeling she had never quite experienced like this. Ellie felt like she could stand there forever as everything else became a blank. 

Dina finally tore away from Ellie, her breath heavy. Their eyes locked on for what seemed like an eternity, before Dina moved to pull Ellie’s shirt off.


	4. Jackson

“So, what’s this tattoo about?” Dina asked, running a finger over Ellie’s tattoo. They lay on the sofa together, with her using Ellie’s arm like a pillow. The warm blanket covered them both, while their clothes decorated the carpet. Ellie had a tattoo of a moth with two ferns reaching out from under it across her left arm. One of the ferns was colored in, while the other was only an outline. 

“I got it to cover up the chemical burn I got a while ago.” She raised her arm, looking at it. The pain had been unbearable when she’d inflicted the injury, but it was the only way that the bite mark would be completely covered. 

“Woah, I didn’t know that. What’s with the two ferns?”

“It’s for a friend. Riley. We were really close when we were kids in the quarantine zone. She got bit and didn’t make it. I did. This is me,” Ellie explained, showing her the colored fern. “And that’s her.” She showed Dina the other fern. 

“That’s beautiful,” Dina said, eliciting a smile from Ellie. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah?”

“Why did things end with Cat?”

“I guess we just drifted apart. We wanted different things and… we grew up.”

“I know. It does get like that, and all of us change, one way or another. But it doesn’t always have to bad, you know?”

“Yeah. Things always happen for a reason, blah, blah. It just feels like sometimes the reasons don’t seem right,” Ellie replied, her voice suddenly becoming bitter. 

Dina turned on her side. “Hey, are you okay?” she asked, concerned.

“Yeah. Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I didn’t want to bring up any bad memories,” Dina apologized, giving her a peck on the cheek. “We don’t have to talk about anything that makes you uncomfortable, alright?”

“No, it’s not your fault. It’s just something that’s been on my mind lately.”

“Anything you want to talk about?”

“Not right now,” Ellie replied, shaking her head.

“Well, it’s been a long day. How about we get some sleep? We should leave as soon as it’s light.”

“I think we should,” Ellie replied, sighing. She closed her eyes, her mind flitting over the events of the day like she did always did before sleeping. Then, she felt Dina’s head nestle against hers as she drifted into her dreams.

*

Ellie woke up first, mostly out of habit. She didn’t get used to new beds quickly, and that would leave her awake early in the morning, which was a plus for any scout. Dina was still asleep next to her, her chest rhythmically rising and falling.

Ellie lay there without moving. She stared at the ceiling, a spider catching her eye as she watched it scurry across. It moved rapidly, probably looking for a spot to weave its web. She followed its back and forth movements and when she had finally lost all interest in the insect’s endeavour, she turned towards Dina, wondering whether she should wake her up.

“Dina,” she finally whispered.

Dina stirred from her sleep. “It’s morning already?” she groaned. “God, it feels like I slept ten minutes ago.”

“Sorry to break your bubble,” Ellie replied to a yawning Dina, rolling off the couch. 

“Sleep well?”

“I did, actually.”

“So did I.” Dina flashed her a grin.

They shoved their belongings back into the bags, replacing whatever else they’d used. Ellie placed the empty food cans in her bag, telling herself to remember to dispose of them on the way home. It was going to be a long ride, and neither of them was particularly looking forward to it.

It didn’t take them very long to pack up and soon, they were back upstairs, having pushed the rubble over the trapdoor again.

That’s when Ellie heard it. 

It was faint at first, but growing louder every passing second. She looked at Dina, who had stopped mid-step noticing Ellie. They stood there, straining their ears.

“What is it?” Dina looked confused.

An instant later, they heard voices. It sounded like two people at the least. “Did Maria send someone?” Ellie wondered aloud to Dina.

“No, she didn’t say anything like that back at the meeting. And why would she? I’ve been here a lot of times and she’s never sent anyone.”

“I know, it doesn’t make sense.” She peered through the boarded windows, spotting two approaching figures. “Fuck, they’re coming here.” In her past experiences, people she didn’t know in the middle of nowhere only meant trouble. Ellie looked around. Clearing the rubble and getting back into the basement wasn’t viable anymore. And there were only two ways out, through the main door and through the garage. 

The horses.

The animals were still in the garage. If the strangers saw them, they would know someone was in the house. That was a lost cause already.

When the voices seemed to come from right outside the house, Ellie broke out of her spell and grabbed Dina’s hand, diving into the kitchen. They hid behind the kitchen isle just as the door swung open. 

“This is one of their outposts,” they heard a woman say. “Should be supplies here. That’ll keep Eddie off our backs for a few seconds.”

“I hate that fucker,” a man replied. “I had to travel all the way with him, and God, he was a pain.”

Ellie waited with bated breath as the footsteps began moving around the house. She could hear one walking closer to the kitchen, the floorboards giving away their position.

“I just wanna go back,” the woman said. “We got what we wanted here.”

“Yeah, but Trent wanted to make we weren’t followed. I think most of us are going back tomorrow.”

“I sure hope so. I’m done with these mountains.”

“I heard Trent really fucked with that woman’s head at that community,” the man said.

“Wouldn’t take that a rumour,” the woman replied nonchalantly. “I’ve known him to do worse.”

The man’s voice had begun to sound farther when suddenly, they heard him yell. “Hey, there’s two horses here!”

A gun was audibly loaded. “Look around. There’s gotta be someone here. If you find them, shoot. We don’t need more trouble.”

Ellie unsheathed her knife, nodding at Dina. She waited for the stranger to come to her. The slow, yet steady fall of the boots on the wooden floor told her that they were getting closer. When it finally seemed like the intruder was nearly upon them, Ellie pounced.

The woman had no time to fire her weapon before Ellie thrust her knife into her throat. The weapon slipped from the woman’s hand as the warm scarlet liquid flowed freely from her neck all over the knife. She stared in shock at her attacker as bloody bubbles formed in her mouth, then falling face first onto the ground.

“Mel? What the-”

A bang silenced the man. He dropped dead outside the kitchen. 

“That’s all of them, right?” Dina asked, lowering her pistol. 

“Think so,” Ellie replied, wiping her bloodstained hand and knife on the corpse’s clothes. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Who are these guys?” They crouched next to the woman and began sifting through her bag and pockets. There was nothing to suggest where she came from or what she was doing there. Her bag only contained a few clothes and some ammunition for the pistol that Ellie promptly placed into her own bag. Ammunition was still precious even though they manufactured some at Jackson.

The dead man also provided no answers. Their two horses stood silently outside, their tails flying from side to side.

“What were these two doing this far out?” Ellie asked rhetorically. She eyed the road. “Let’s get out of here before more of them show up.”

*

“Are you sure they weren’t just bandits?” Maria asked, unsettled.

Dina and Ellie had rushed to her house as soon as they arrived back in Jackson. The bulb hung from the ceiling over the table as the two sat on the chairs, Maria, instead, opting to stand on the other side of the table.

“They could be. But… they didn’t seem like it. What would bandits be doing at one of our outposts?” Ellie asked.

“That’s true. We aren’t hostile with any of the other communities here, so they can’t be from some place we know either.”

“And they tried to kill us as well,” Dina added.

“One of them said that they got what they came for and most of them were returning tomorrow to wherever they came from,” Ellie remembered.

“So, there’s more of them?” Maria paced about the room. “This is not good. We can’t have a fight with anyone right now. This winter’s bad enough as it is, and it’s killed a good amount of our crops.”

“I think they know about our scouts,” Dina said. “They knew McMillan House was our outpost.”

“I don’t think anybody outside Jackson knows that.” She sighed. “We’ll have to be more careful about sending people outside.”

“Is Joel back?” Ellie suddenly asked.

“No, why?”

“It’s just… been a while since he left. Thought he’d be back by now.”

“Don’t worry about Joel. He’s capable of looking after himself. He’s been spending more time outside the walls too, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s taken a short detour,” Maria calmly said, but her eyes betrayed her.

“We should go look for him,” Ellie suggested. With armed men roaming around with every intention to kill, she was apprehensive. 

“I’ll talk to Tommy as soon as he’s back, okay?” Maria said. “You two should go have some dinner and get some sleep. The kitchens will be closing soon.”

Ellie nodded. Along with Dina, she headed to the town’s kitchen. Most members ate there since it was easier than preparing food at home. All the ingredients came from the Jackson fields, which was tended to by select members. It was stored in a warehouse when harvested.

The place was almost empty when the two turned up, it being much later than the usual dinner time. The two filled up their plates and took a seat at one of the empty tables. 

“It’s bothering you, isn’t it?” Dina asked, noticing Ellie had not taken even a single bite.

“What?” she asked absent-mindedly without looking up.

“Joel.”

“Yeah… I keep thinking something’s happened to him,” Ellie admitted. 

*

**One Month Ago**

_“Joel, I don’t know what’s happening to me,” Ellie said, her voice breaking. They were seated in his living room. It was late evening, and he had not expected to find Ellie breaking down at his doorstep._

_“What’s wrong?” he asked, sitting beside her._

_“Ever since we saw those two infected boys, it’s been worse. I’ve been bottling it up for a while now, but I can’t do this anymore. I know you haven’t told me the truth, and I’ve tried to respect that. But I need to know. What happened at the hospital? What happened to the cure?”_

_Joel dropped his eyes. He tried to bring himself to tell her._

_“Joel, just tell me. You can’t keep this from me any longer. You owe it to me. Marlene said I was the only hope they all had. So why did we leave?”_

_He swallowed. Finally, he looked up at her. “You’re the only one who’s like this. When we got to the hospital, Marlene told me that the only reason you weren’t infected, was because the cordyceps in your brain had mutated. That explained how you weren’t affected by the spores too. But, to understand why, they would have to study your brain and to do that… they said you wouldn’t make it alive.”_

_Ellie looked stunned. She fell silent, comprehending the words she never expected to hear. “They were going to kill me?” she finally whispered._

_Joel exhaled, nodding his head._

_She buried her face in her hands._

_“Ellie, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t let them do that to you,” Joel said. He placed a hand on her shoulder._

_Ellie nodded. She got to her feet. “I think I need to figure some things out,” she mumbled as she left his house, leaving behind a worried Joel in the living room._  
  
*

“Ellie?”

She snapped back to reality. “Sorry, mind was elsewhere,” she said, putting her fork down. She stared at her food for a second. “I think I’m gonna go to New Town.”

“To look for him?” 

“Yeah. As much as I don’t want to think that something’s wrong, I know it is. It just feels like he’s in trouble. There’s no way Joel wouldn’t return for this long without saying anything.”

“I think you should,” Dina agreed.

“Really?” Ellie asked, surprised. She’d expected Dina to dismiss her idea immediately.

“It’s Joel. You guys are family. I’d be doing the same if someone I cared about was missing. And I’m coming with you.”

“What? You can’t come with me.” 

“Why not?” Dina asked. “It’s my decision, right?”

“Because it might not be safe?” Ellie argued. “Who knows what’s out there? I can’t ask you to risk yourself for me.”

“Okay, risk is a strong word here. I’m not letting you walk into this alone. If we do it, we do it together.”

“Dina, you really can’t-”

“I’m coming. That’s final. We can sit here talking about this all night, or we can figure out how we’re doing this.”

“Okay then.” Ellie hesitated. “Thanks for doing this with me,” she admitted gratefully.

“I’m more than just a pretty face, you know?” Dina joked. 

It was so unexpected, that Ellie ended up giggling. “Let’s go talk to Maria.”

*

Ellie exchanged a glance with Dina before knocking on the door. Tommy answered it.

“Hey, come on in,” he said, leading them to the table where he was talking to Maria. “Maria was just telling me about what happened. You guys fine?”

“Nothing happened to us,” Ellie replied, shrugging. “There were just two of them and we took care of that.”

“Well, I’m glad you two aren’t hurt. I don’t know who they could be. Anyway, I think we should be fine for now. I think there’s a storm coming in. I’ll go take a look with Jacob once it clears out. We should double the guard for a while.”

“That sounds good,” Maria replied. “Did you need anything?” she asked the two girls.

“I think something’s happened to Joel. I’m going to look for him,” Ellie answered.

“Hold on. What do you mean ‘look for him’? Where?” Tommy leaned forward in his chair.

“I thought I’d go to New Town and make sure that he’s okay.”

“You can’t leave right now. I just told you the weather’s gonna be bad, and you could come across these lunatics again.”

“Yeah, but I can’t sit here either,” Ellie replied. “I have to find out. Maybe, it’s nothing. But what if it isn’t? Dina’s with me too.”

“You think this is a good idea, too?” Maria asked Dina. “And what are you two going to do? Fight an entire group of them? You’re both kids. Tommy’s right, Ellie.”

“I travelled across the country with Joel, even when he nearly died. I can look after myself. And if you don’t want us to go, fine, send someone else,” Ellie said indignantly. 

“I can’t right now. We’re stretched too thin. And with this threat, we need everyone-”

“Are you telling me you can’t spare anyone to go look for your own family?” She asked, her hand curled into a fist.

“That’s not fair, Ellie. It’s too dangerous right now,” Maria explained. “We can wait a few more days and then take a call, right?”

“A few more days, and something worse could happen to Joel!” Ellie nearly yelled.

“We’re all worried about him, okay?” Maria said. “But all of us have a responsibility here as well.”

“Maria’s got a point, Ellie,” Tommy interceded.

“What the fuck? What happened to you, Tommy?” Ellie asked angrily.

Tommy recoiled slightly. “Look,” he said, “Joel’s my brother, and I love him. I told you I was worried about him. So, I promise I’ll go look for him as soon as we figure things out here, okay? Taking someone out of here means letting our defences down. And we don’t have too many people capable of firing weapons at humans. We can’t be vulnerable right now.”

“If you’re not going, I’ll go.” Ellie stood up, seething, and left before Maria and Tommy had a chance to say anything. She had gotten just past the door, however, when Tommy stopped her.

“Ellie, listen to me. Just give me a chance here, okay? I’ll talk to Maria and I’ll figure something out. In the morning, we’ll take a decision, alright? Just… sleep on it for now.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Thank you. Come by in the morning,” he said, heading back into the house. 

Ellie massaged her temples to ease the ache.

“So, I’ll see you here in the morning then?” Dina asked.

“Yeah,” Ellie lied. She knew perfectly well what she was going to do. “We’ll come talk to them in the morning.”


	5. Past and Present

_“Hey, you mind if I come in?” Joel asked when Ellie opened the door._

_She looked at him for a long second. “Do you need something?” she asked._

_“Uh… no. I just thought I’d come by and see how you were doing. It felt like you were avoiding me since-”_

_“I’m fine,” Ellie replied, cutting across his words._

_“That’s… that’s good to hear. I would’ve come by sooner, but there was just a lot to do,” he said._

_“It’s fine. We’ve all got something to do in our lives.”_

_He nodded slowly at the jab. “We do.” The two stood there in silence. “Oh, I got this for you,” Joel suddenly remembered, holding out a box._

_“What’s this?” Ellie asked, taking it._

_“It’s cookies. I baked them myself. Reckon you’d like it.”_

_“Well, thanks. It’s getting late now and I have a repair early morning. Can we talk later?”_

_“Right. Of course. Don’t want you to wake up late for that. Maria’s sending me to New Town tomorrow, so I’ll be out for a few days.”_

_“Sure.”_

_“Okay. Goodnight,” Joel said, sighing. He had barely stepped off the porch when he spoke again. “Ellie, wait.” He watched as she paused with the door closed halfway. “I have something I need to say. I know you’re angry at me. And I’m okay with that. I had to make a decision and I made one. But you also have to know that the Fireflies weren’t doing right by you.”_

_Ellie didn’t reply, instead, averting his eyes from his._

_“They didn’t give you a chance to make a choice,” Joel pressed on. “It wasn’t theirs to make, Ellie. It was yours. It didn’t even seem like they knew what they were doing.”_

_“And you knew what you were? It was your decision?”_

_“I wasn’t going to let an innocent girl die,” Joel said. “If somehow, I was given a second chance to make that decision, I’d still stop them from killing you.”_

_“Well, then, it seems like only one of us is capable of making better decisions.”_

_“Ellie, there was no guarantee of a cure!”_

_“They could have tried at least!” Ellie yelled._

_Joel shook his head. “No, those weren’t odds I was going to gamble you away on.”_

_“Gamble, yeah,” she scoffed. “So, now what? I’m just supposed to live with the fact that more people have died and will continue to die because of me?”_

_“We don’t know that.”_

_“And why didn’t you just tell me the truth back then? Why would you fucking lie about everything?”_

_Joel hesitated. “Because I was afraid of losing you,” he confessed. “I was afraid that you wouldn’t understand.”_

_“Great then. I don’t know what the fuck I’m supposed to be doing, Joel. Every time I see an infected, it feels like I’m to blame.” She took a few deep breaths, composing herself. “I don’t think I can have this conversation right now.”_

_“Okay, I understand. We can talk when I get back,” he said, but all he got in response was the click of the door shutting on him._

*

Ellie woke up in a cold sweat. She could feel the dampness of the bed sheet and the pillow. She stared into the darkness as her eyes slowly adjusted. It was still night outside but the light from the street crept across the bottom of her bed, the yellow mingling with the blue cloth. She pulled out the pillow from under her head and tossed it to the side. 

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, willing herself to fall asleep again. She lay there for some time, resorting to even counting sheep, but it seemed to be in vain. Sleep was elusive that night. Finally, exasperated, she opened her eyes and let her mind wander. Even though the house was warmer than the outside, she couldn’t help but feel a chill.

After a while, her hand travelled to the clock by her bedside. It was just before sunrise. Ellie kicked off the blanket and sat up in the bed. It was the perfect time for her to leave for New Town without alerting Tommy and Maria, as well as travel in the first rays of the day without worrying about the infected in the dark. It would, hopefully, be easy to get past the guards at the gates as well. She didn’t know what she was going to do about Dina though. Ellie really liked her, and her coming along wouldn’t be safe if things didn’t go as planned.

As she stood up, she could feel her hands shaking slightly. Quickly grasping her bottle and taking a few sips, she tried to bury the pit in her stomach. She opened the cupboard above the small stove in her kitchen. She’d stored several cans of food in there that she’d take when she’d go for repairs or when she felt like eating at home. Pulling several of them from the shelves and straight into her bag, she then packed her weapons, slinging her bow around her. Out of her table’s drawer, she picked up enough ammunition to hopefully last her the trip. There was no telling how many times she’d have to use her weapons, but she could also scavenge some, if the need arose.

She slid in a small pocket knife along a holder she’d sewed into the inner waistline of the back of her jeans. It was a trick Tommy had taught her that would be useful if ever she was captured. No one would check for a knife in such a place, and definitely not for something as small, yet lethal. At first, she had been apprehensive that it would end up poking her, but it turned out to be something she now did every time there could be danger.

Pulling on her jacket, she took a quick stock of her house to make sure she had everything she needed. Bracing herself to step into the cold, she opened the door.

“Dina?” For the second time that week, Ellie found the girl standing at her door.

“You really think I didn’t know what you were planning?” Dina asked. She was completely packed like Ellie was, weapons and all.

“I… I didn’t want to leave without you,” Ellie replied, embarrassed. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

“Early morning romance, I see, but seriously Ellie, will you stop worrying? Nothing’s going to happen. We’ll go find Joel and bring him home, okay? I need you to promise me that we’re going to do this together.”

Ellie conceded. “Okay, fine. Sorry.”

“No more of this lone wolf thing that you think is a good idea, alright? And here. I made something for you last night. Hold out your hand.”

She did as she was instructed. Dina tied a bracelet around her wrist. 

“It’s a Hamsa bracelet,” Dina explained. “It’s supposed to protect you from harm and watch over you. It’s like the symbol of the hand of God. My mom taught me to make them when I was a kid.”

“Thanks, Dina,” Ellie said, looking it over. She suddenly realised she wasn’t feeling jittery anymore. 

They began walking towards the stables. The sun had just reared its head through the clouds, casting a faint orange glow over the white path. It was that warmth that broke through the relentless chill that made Ellie instinctively reach for Dina’s hand. For a moment, Ellie felt comforted.

“What was your plan to get out of the gates?” Dina asked when they were nearly there.

“I was just going to improvise and say I had to get to an outpost, and pray nobody would ask questions.”

“The group should have changed by now and as far as I remember, Alex doesn’t ask too many questions. So, I think we should be good on that front.”

Ellie suddenly cursed under her breath as they rounded the street and the stables came into view. They could see Maria walk out of the wooden structure, stand still for a second as she recognised the two girls, and make a beeline for them. Ellie wasn’t prepared to have this conversation. 

“Maria-” she began as the woman reached them.

“Tommy left in the middle of the night,” Maria interrupted her. “I just found out.” She looked on the verge of panicking.

“Where? Did he say anything?” Dina asked, caught as off guard as Ellie.

Maria handed them the paper she was clutching in her hand. It was a note from Tommy addressed to her. “I found this on the table when I woke up.”

_Maria_ , it read, _I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was doing this but I can’t rest until I find Joel. I can’t lose him a second time. He’d do the same for any of us if we were missing. Make sure Ellie and Dina stay in Jackson. They shouldn’t be out there in the danger. Stay safe at home until I get back. I promise I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you once I’m back, but I have to do this. I love you, Tommy._

“Maria, I-I’m sorry,” Ellie sympathised. “I didn’t know Tommy was going to do this.”

“You couldn’t have. Tommy’s always been like this when it comes to family. I don’t blame him, but that doesn’t mean I’m not scared.” She rubbed her face. “What are you two doing here this early?”

“We… were going to look for Joel.”

Maria nodded. “I’m not going to stop you then, because I know you’ve made up your minds. If I do it now, you’ll just find another way. But I can’t give you two horses. You can take either of yours.” She paused. “Please, find my husband before he does something stupid.” 

“I promise we’ll get him back,” Ellie said. 

The two watched as a visibly disturbed Maria left the two of them standing outside the stable enclosure. 

“Goddamnit it, Tommy,” Ellie swore. “Now I feel fucking terrible about Maria.”

“Yeah, I’ve never seen her like that,” Dina said. “If we leave right now, we might be able to catch up with him somewhere on the way.”

They entered the stables and a few minutes later, rode out of the gates on Chucky with Ellie at the reins.

“You sure you know the way?” Dina asked.

“I haven’t been there, but I remember Joel once told me about it. It’s goes right past Outpost 8, and then I think it’s just a straight road after that. There’s not too many paths to get lost on anyway.”

“Well, looks like we’re relying on you to get us there.”

“We’ll figure it out.” Ellie stroked Chucky’s mane a few times. “We can stop at the outpost for the night.”

“I think that’s the best call. It should be safe in the basement,” Dina said. “We’ll have to make sure there are no more of those people there.”

“We’ll be careful.” She was silent for a few seconds. “Hey, do you think I crossed a line yesterday?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, with Tommy and Maria. I think I got really angry and said some hurtful things. I didn’t mean them, because I know the two of them aren’t my enemies or anything. I just felt frustrated.”

“If I’m being honest,” Dina started, “it did feel like you got a little impulsive. I haven’t seen you like that a lot, but I get where your frustration came from, and I think Maria and Tommy did, too. I guess it’s natural for you to be worried about Joel.”

“Yeah… maybe.”

“It’s cute how worked up you can get some times.”

“Hey, I can be very casual as well,” Ellie said coolly.

“I dare you to, Ellie.”

*

“How does that place look?” Ellie asked, jerking her head at a house.

It was nearing sundown. They had spent the first night at the outpost. The weather had worsened through that day and they’d been forced to take shelter, waiting for it to pass. The delay caused them to travel after the daylight had died away. Thankfully, they didn’t find too many infected, and neither did they find any more of the attackers. 

The second day had also been uneventful. The only exciting thing they saw were a few elks that made a break for the trees as soon as they spotted the travelers. When evening approached, Ellie and Dina had begun looking for places to stay the night.

The house Ellie saw was one of a few, however, it appeared to be the most intact. The small cluster was down a small descent to the side of the path. It was a fairly modest looking place.

The two quickly cleared out any infected in the area. A clicker almost caught them off guard, but before it could get to Ellie, Dina drove her blade straight into its head. The house didn’t have a garage, so Ellie tethered Chucky in the living room before claiming one of the bedrooms as theirs.

“You okay?” Dina asked Ellie as she lit a candle on the table.

“Yeah. Just tired.” 

“Let’s eat and we can get some rest then.”

“Um… I’m actually not hungry right now. You can eat without me. I think I’m just going to sleep.”

“Alright. Ellie?” Dina called, making Ellie turn towards her. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

*

_“Look around,” Joel said. “There’s a lot of CDs here. See what you like and you can take them back.”_

_Ellie looked around. There were shelves full of music. She wandered about the store, reading the names and bagging a few._

_“Hey, there’s more stuff here,” he said. There was a pause. “Shit, it’s under a lock. Ellie, see if you can find a key for it. It should be somewhere around.”_

_Ellie hunted for a bit, then made her way over to the counter. In one of the drawers, she found a drawing. It seemed like something a child would make. The colors on it had faded with time._

_“Never mind, I got it open,” Joel called out._

_Then she noticed the door. It was right past the table._

_She headed towards it, pushing down the door handle. It wouldn’t budge. She gave it a push with her shoulder and it gave way instantly._

_It was a corridor. The first thing she noticed was the large fungal growth on the wall. Spores flew from it. Then, her eyes fell upon the two figures wedged into the reddish abomination. But something was off._

_With a gasp, Ellie realised that it was two kids, judging from their size. She took a step back and suddenly, the infected kids moved, breaking away from the wall. Their heads disfigured from the cordyceps growth; they made a clicking sound before lunging at her._

_She tripped over her feet in her haste to back away. None of her instincts seemed to take over as they did when she encountered infected._

_“Ellie? Ellie!” Joel yelled racing to her._

_She kicked one of them away, holding the other at bay with her forearm across its throat. It was so close to her face. All Ellie could think about that moment was whether the two kids were still alive in their bodies._

_“Ellie, no!”_

*

Ellie screamed as she woke up. Her chest heaved as the room came into focus, and she realised Dina was next to her. In her disturbed sleep, she had clutched Dina’s hand so hard that her nails drew blood. 

“Fuck, I’m sorry!” she apologized, letting it go.

“Don’t worry about it,” Dina replied, pressing down on the bleeding. “Nightmare?”

Ellie nodded, feeling her heart race. 

“It’s alright, breathe. It’s not real, okay? You’re safe here.” Dina pulled out her napkin, wiping off the bloody marks. 

“I know,” Ellie said. “God, it was bad.”

“What was it?” 

“Just this thing that happened to Joel and me some time ago. It’s been bothering me ever since.”

Dina nodded. “Did something happen between you and Joel?”

“Why?”

“It seems like it. I haven’t seen you with him over the last few weeks and that rarely ever happens. You two talk a lot normally. And you’ve been really… not you at times lately. I’ve never seen you before like that. So, did he do something?”

Ellie chuckled softly at the way Dina read her. “Yeah. He lied to me about something big. Like life-changing big.”

“Woah. What conspiracy have you two gotten tangled up in?” 

“It’s nothing like that. He just… did something that involved me without asking me and I don’t know what to do about it.”

“If he had asked you, do you think you would have made the same decision that he did?” Dina asked.

“I… I don’t know honestly.”

“You know, sometimes we all do things. Sometimes they’re bad and sometimes they’re good. But if I know one thing about you and Joel- he’d never do anything that would harm you.”

“Everyone keeps saying that! But what if he harms others by not harming me?” Ellie asked.

“We do things to keep people we love safe. And if that hurt others, then that’s the price you pay.”

“I don’t know, Dina. Joel thinks he made the only choice that was right. I’m not so sure. Things might have been different too, otherwise.”

“They might have. You might not have been here too,” Dina said. “Or even in Jackson.”

“I definitely wouldn’t,” Ellie murmured. 

“I think you should talk it out with him and see what he has to say. Then you can make up your mind on whether he did the right thing.”

“Yeah. Maybe I’ll do that.”

“Good. Now, come on. Try to sleep. We’ve got another day of riding.”


	6. Betrayed Bonds

The walls of New Town came into sight once Ellie and Dina crossed the stream. The water had formed a thin icy layer over the top that gave way as soon as Chucky trod over it. The depth was barely enough to be an inconvenience, but it was mind-numbingly frigid.

New Town’s defenses were fairly similar to Jackson’s, owing to the fact that Maria and Tommy had helped the community set up. The two towns had been trading for years now, although Jackson was much larger in size. New Town’s walls were tall enough to prevent anyone from climbing over, and the large metal gates were protected by two armed men.   
The light shone down on Ellie and Dina as they came within shouting distance.

“Stop there!” 

Ellie pulled on Chucky’s reins, bringing him to a halt. “We’re from Jackson! We’re here to talk to Jene.” 

They watched as the man spoke to the other guard, before he disappeared behind the gates. Standing still, they waited for it to open.

“This is really taking long,” Dina said. She rested her head on Ellie’s shoulder, clearly exhausted.

“I don’t think they expect visitors at this time,” Ellie replied. She glanced around, but couldn’t see anything in the dark. They were vulnerable to any infected that decided it was a good time to attack. “You feeling alright?” 

“Just need some shut-eye.” 

“So do I. I’m just glad we found this place.”

The gates opened, and the man stepped out, beckoning them into sanctuary.

Rows of houses greeted them. It wasn’t as busy as Jackson, but there were enough people out on the streets, moving around or talking to one another. They could make out the bar and the kitchens.

“Follow me,” the man said, as Ellie and Dina jumped off Chucky and handed him to another man standing by a small shed. “Jene said you two could meet her in her house. This one, here,” he said, leading them down the street to the last house. He knocked on the door and waited. “I don’t know you two, so I’m going to be close by. Leave your bags here and don’t try anything funny.”

The two complied, setting down their stuff in the porch.

The door was opened by a woman, presumably Jene. Ellie estimated her to be about Joel’s age. Her greyish unbridled hair reached her shoulders. Her shirt was tucked into her jeans and a conspicuous scar ran across her cheek, with several stitch marks around it.

“You’re from Jackson?” she asked.

“Yeah. I’m Ellie and this is Dina.”

“Come on in.” She had a warm voice.

Jene’s house seemed lavish when compared to Tommy and Maria’s. It was on a single floor. Couches and chairs sat near the doorway, with the kitchen and dining area right beyond it. The room towards the back appeared to be her bedroom. She had decorated her house with several vases and ornaments.

Ellie instantly felt relieved as she sat down on the plush couch. She was used to riding horses for several days strung together, but that did nothing to ease the tiredness she’d feel right after. Now, was no different.

“What brings you here?” Jene asked. “I wasn’t expecting anybody from Jackson.”

“We’re here to ask about Joel.” Ellie got straight to the point. “He should’ve been back at Jackson by now, but he isn’t. Is he here?” 

“No.” She furrowed her brow. “Joel left a week ago. He was going to leave the morning after he arrived, but he couldn’t, thanks to the storm. He waited the night and left just before daylight.”

“So, he’s really not here?” Ellie’s heart sank. She looked at Dina worriedly.

Jene shook her head. 

“Joel was only supposed to come here and then return home. He told me he’d be back in a few days before he left,” Ellie pressed on.

“Well, he’s definitely not here.”

The words tightened around her neck like a noose as she stared at the ground.

“I didn’t mean to worry you. I’ll be right back,” Jene abruptly said, going into the kitchen.

Dina moved next to Ellie, wrapping her arm around her.

“We don’t know where he is,” Ellie whispered. “Or even if he’s alive.” Morbid thoughts filled her head.

“He’s alive, okay? Don’t say things like that. He’s out there somewhere. We just have to figure out where he’s gone.”

She nodded.

“Have this,” Jene said as she held out two steaming mugs. Her hands shook slightly. “It’s cocoa.”

Ellie accepted hers without a word, wrapping her fingers around it for warmth.

“Was Tommy here?” Dina asked. 

“No. Why?” 

“He left for the same reason we did, just before us. I thought he’d check this place first.”

“I haven’t seen him here. I’d know if he was,” Jene replied.

“Did Joel say anything to you while he was here?” Ellie asked, putting her mug down. After sipping at the warm liquid, she felt the fatigue of the day pile on her.

“Now that I think of it, he said something about needing some time to himself. He didn’t tell me where he was going because I think he didn’t want anyone following him.”

“So, he just… left like that? Without telling you anything?” Dina asked, bewildered.

“Yes,” Jene affirmed. “He didn’t seem like himself. But I’m sure he’ll turn up soon. Just give him some time.”

“Did he say anything that could tell us where he was going?”

“No, nothing of that sort. Look, in the years that I have known him, I can say that this isn’t a big deal. Leave him be for now.”

“Not a big deal?” Ellie repeated in disbelief. “Do you even know him?”

Jene pursed her lips. “Are you close to him, Ellie?” 

“Yes.” Her reply was instantaneous.

Jene nodded; her eyes fixated on her mug. 

“If that’s everything you can tell us, then we should get going,” Ellie announced unceremoniously.

“This late?” Jene asked. “It’s not ideal, but it should get you back to Jackson quicker if that’s what you really want.”

“We’re not going back to Jackson. I’m not leaving Joel behind.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea...”

Ellie gave Jene a questioning look.

“Sorry, I don’t mean it in the way you’re thinking,” Jene hastily said. “Why don’t you two stay the night? You both look like you could use it.”

Dina glanced at Ellie. “I guess we could. You’re tired. And so am I. We might as well spend the night here and continue tomorrow morning.”

“Joel wouldn’t give up if it was us,” Ellie said flatly. “We have to go now.”

“We’re not giving up. Think about it. We won’t make it through the night in this condition. You’ve barely slept over the last few days, or even eaten anything. I think we should stay.”

Ellie sighed resignedly, rubbing her puffy eyes. “You’re right. We’ll leave in the morning.”

“I’m glad. There’s a small guest house here where you can sleep, and I’ll give you something to eat on your way tomorrow,” Jene suggested, smiling.

“Thank you for that,” Dina said, grateful.

“It’s the least I can do for you two. Jackson’s always helped us when we needed help. I’m just returning the favour.”

“Thanks,” Ellie echoed Dina’s sentiment. 

“It’s no problem. Do you two want anything to eat?” Jene asked warmly.

“No, we ate a bit just before we got here.”

“Let me take you to the house then.” She headed out, waiting for the girls to pick up their bags from where they left them.

“It’s right here,” Jene said as they walked through a couple of streets and stopped in front of the place. She pulled out a key from her jacket, before fumbling with the lock for a second. Then, she pushed the door open.

It was a small building. It reminded Ellie of her own by the compactness. Like Jene’s house, the bedroom, too, was at the end. It was more than the two of them could have hoped for. The yellow lights almost made Ellie homesick.

“This is nice,” Dina told Jene as she put her bag down. 

Ellie sat down on a chair, pulling off her boots. Her feet felt numb from constantly being in the boots for the past few days.

“It’s all yours for the night. There’s nothing to eat, but there’s water in there. I’ll give you some food in the morning when I come by.” Jene said. “And there are blankets on the bed.” She hesitated for a second. “So… you’re going after Joel then?”

“I have to,” Ellie replied.

Jene looked at her and Dina before nodding and shutting the door behind her. 

Ellie rubbed her cold feet, massaging sensation back into them. “I’ve never known Joel to disappear without a word.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Dina replied with a sigh. She sat down quietly. “But, Jene said he told her that.”

“I don’t know, Dina. Something doesn’t add up.”

“Do you think this thing between you and Joel made him do this?”

Ellie shook her head slowly, stifling a yawn. “It wouldn’t. I hope so, at least.”

“Then what reason could he have had?” Dina folded her jacket over her chair.

“I don’t know. I really don’t.” She leaned back; her head comfortable against the wood. 

“We should find Tommy first. Maybe he found something.”

“Yeah, let’s do that,” Ellie murmured.

*

Ellie opened her eyes. The lack of sleep fell heavily on her eyelids, making them heavy. She blinked rapidly in the darkness. The last thing she remembered was being on the chair. She had no idea when she came to the bed and under the thick blanket. 

The sound of something falling caught her attention. She reached out with her hand and found Dina missing. Wondering what she was doing, Ellie got out of bed and walked to the door. It was very likely that Dina had dropped something in the kitchen while fetching some water. And Ellie could use some herself, now that she was up.

The door opened soundlessly, and suddenly; the sounds were much more amplified.

“Dina?” Ellie called out cautiously.

Her eyes widened as she saw the girl on the floor, straddled by a hooded person wielding a knife. The blade shone in the dim light, pointed towards her throat. Dina was desperately fighting to keep herself alive.

“What the fuck!” Without a second thought, Ellie covered the distance in a few short strides and slammed into the attacker, the knife clattering onto the floor. Ellie landed awkwardly, hitting her head on the kitchen cabinet. Dazed, she suddenly found it difficult to breathe. The two hands locked around her neck made sure of that. Then they were gone.

Wheezing, she coughed and sat up, her eyes streaming. Dina had the viciously struggling attacker in a futile choke hold. She was barely holding on.

In all the scuffle, the knife lay on the ground, unattended. Ellie hurriedly clambered towards it. She pointed it at the hooded figure, who promptly ceased to struggle. 

“Who the fuck are you?” Ellie demanded. 

Dina slowly released the surrendering intruder and lowered the hood.

“Jene?” Ellie’s hand wavered as she recognised their would-be killer. “What…?”

“I don’t understand,” Dina whispered, aghast. She clutched her side where Jene had punched her. “Why would you do this?”

“I didn’t want to, I swear,” Jene confessed. “But I couldn’t have you looking for Joel.”

“What the fuck do you mean by that?” Ellie felt a chill. “What did you do to him?” she asked, the dread setting in.

“The only thing I could- I let them take him. They told me that no one else would be harmed if I gave them Joel.”

“Them? Who’s them?”

“I don’t know who they are. I really don’t!”

“So, we don’t know if he’s alive because of you and all you can tell us that you don’t know who they are?” Ellie’s breathing became rapid.

“Please, I didn’t want to.”

“Why did they want him? Tell me!”

“They didn’t say anything,” Jene said. “Please, you have to understand, I did it because I had to save my people’s lives. They already killed Elaine and they were going to kill more of us.”

“But what about Joel! Doesn’t he mean anything? You said Jackson had helped you whenever you needed it. Maria and Tommy fucking helped you build this place. And you still sold him out!” Ellie’s vision blurred, a salty taste settling on her lips. She leaned against the kitchen counter.

“There wasn’t a choice,” Jene begged. “I would never do this if there was another way.”

“There was! Where did they take him?”

“I can’t tell you. You can’t go after them. No one was supposed to know about this. They still have Jude. They could come back for more of us. I can’t let that happen.”

“The same way you didn’t let anything happen to Joel?” Ellie retorted. 

“I’m sorry, Ellie. I know you wish I was dead. But think of what I went through.”

“I don’t give a fuck! Joel trusted you enough to be here and you betrayed him!”

“You would do the same if you were in my place,” Jene said imploringly.

Ellie looked at Jene in disgust. “I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t hurt people who trusted me.”

She stayed silent.

“You’re going to tell us where they took him now,” Ellie said in a menacingly low voice.

Jene hesitated. “They- they didn’t say where they took him.”

“Don’t fucking lie to me!”

“I’m not! I’m not! You have to believe me.”

Ellie took a deep breath, running a hand over her face. She felt overwhelmed with the happenings. “You need to-”

“Ellie!”

Her head snapped up. She saw Jene rush towards her. Instinctively, she tried to move out of the way. A sudden searing pain erupted in her arm. She struck blindly with her fist, making contact with Jene’s face, but the woman wouldn’t back away. She was like a cornered animal, her cold hands wrapped around Ellie’s neck again, strangling the life out of her. Ellie kicked and punched, finding it harder to focus now.

Out of the blue, Jene’s expression turned into one of shock. Her hands loosened and she stood still for an instant before crumpling in a heap. Dina stood just behind, taking shallow breaths as she held the large metal pot in her hand.

Ellie slumped down onto the floor. “I’m alright,” she weakly protested as Dina rushed to her. She looked at her arm. There was a reddish gash on her shirt’s sleeve. “Fuck, that hurts,” she breathed.

“Hold still.” Dina helped Ellie’s arm out of the shirt to examine the wound. Jene had caught them off guard with a second, smaller blade. It was a nasty cut, with the blood slowly dripping out of it. 

“How bad is it?” The adrenalin was wearing off now.

“Fixable. The bleeding’s not bad so we just need to put some pressure on it and stitch it up.” She rummaged around in her bag and retrieved a cloth, a bottle and a needle.

Ellie looked at Jene, laying still. She winced as Dina pressed the cloth onto the wound. “Fuck… she almost got us. Is she alive?” 

“I think so,” Dina said, checking Jene’s pulse. “She’s not dead. Just knocked out."

“She didn’t have to do this. We could’ve helped her. Now we’ve got to find Joel before they do anything to him.”

“I agree.” Dina waited until the bleeding had stopped and then unscrewed the bottle cap and looked at Ellie. “Don’t scream,” she said, as she poured some of the liquid. 

Ellie closed her eyes, exhaling sharply. She had received numerous injuries through her life, but she had never gotten used to the repercussions that came after them. She pressed her nails into her jeans. 

“Okay, that’s done,” Dina told her. “You’re doing fine. I just have to sew it up. You ready?”

“Mmhmm. Dina?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for being here with me. I don’t think I could have done this alone. I’m only alive right now because of you. I know I was going to leave without saying anything, but… thanks for showing up.”

Dina smiled. “Always,” she replied, before bringing the needle close to Ellie’s arm. She expertly maneuvered the tiny instrument in and out of Ellie’s wound, pulling the torn flesh together. The alcohol had helped take some of the pain away, so it was bearable. 

“There,” Dina announced, tying a cloth around it. “You should be okay now.”

“Yeah,” Ellie replied, slowly moving her arm and putting it back through the sleeves. She stood up, holding the cabinet for support. 

“What do you want to do now?” Dina asked.

Ellie looked around. There was still some time before daybreak.

“Let’s see if she knows anything else.”


	7. The Path Down South

Ellie sat on the couch, idly staring at the knife in her hand. Dina was next to her, asleep. It had been just a short while after the attack and Ellie was getting impatient now. Jene was on the floor in front of them, the rope tied tightly around her wrists.

Ellie finally got up and strode over to the leader of New Town. She shook the woman. “Wake up.”

Jene groaned as she stirred. She tried to move, but realised her hands were tied. “What happened?” she mumbled, disconcerted.

“You tried to kill us,” Ellie replied coldly.

She grimaced and pulled at the rope. “You can’t keep me like this.”

“I will, until you tell us the whole truth. Who are these people? What are they called?”

“I can yell and someone will hear me.”

She suddenly brought the knife close to Jene’s neck, who squirmed uncomfortably. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Now, I don’t have all day. You’re going to answer all my questions. Truthfully.” She glanced back at Dina.

Jene swallowed. “I told you, I don’t know. And th-that knife doesn’t scare me,” she said, although her tone gave her away.

Ellie pressed the knife against her skin. 

“I just did what they wanted,” Jene blurted out. “There were more of them. If they wanted, they could have just burned down this town. I had to make sure we would all be safe. And if that meant giving up someone I met once every few months, then I would do it. I just… didn’t know he had a daughter.”

“You don’t know a lot of things. You tried to kill us in your own town. What kind of a sick fuck are you, who kills people while they sleep?”

Jene didn’t reply.

“You don’t deserve to live for what you’ve done,” Ellie said, disdainfully. Her knife drew beads of blood. “I need you to talk. Now.”

Jene conceded, trying to pull herself away from the blade “I-I don’t know who they are. They came from the southern path. It’s right past the river.” She paused to take a deep breath. “Jude and Elaine were outside the walls when they were captured. Their leader, Trent, and a few of his people turned up at our gates and wanted to speak to me. They knew we traded with Jackson and wanted me to get Joel out of there. He killed Elaine in front of me. Th-they said that if I didn’t give them Joel within a week, they would kill Jude too.”

“Why didn’t they just come to Jackson?” Ellie asked.

“Because th-they would never be able to take it on. It’s far more protected than New Town. And no one would suspect anything until it was too late if he was out of there.”

“It’s like you fucking planned it for them.”

“N-no! I swear, I just did what they wanted.”

“So, where did they go with him?”

“I-I don’t know!” Jene sputtered. “Please, don’t hurt me!”

“If you’re lying to me, I will fucking-”

“Ellie,” a calm voice next to her said.

She turned to find Dina beside her, her hand reaching for Ellie’s. That’s when she realised the blood she’d drawn from Jene in her anger. She withdrew her weapon, still staring daggers at the bound woman.

“There’s a small town… it’s about fifty miles from the river crossing.” Jene suddenly said. “They said they were staying there.”

“Where’s that?” Dina asked.

“It’s down the southern path. I-It’s the road on the left once you get out of the gates. When you come across the Sinclair Chemical Plant, take the right at the crossroads. It’s just a few miles ahead."

“Are you sure that’s where they were?” Ellie asked menacingly. 

“Y-yes! I don’t know if they’re still there.”

Ellie took Dina by the arm towards the window, telling her everything that Jene had said. They were just out of her earshot. 

“These are the same people that attacked us at our outpost,” she told Dina. “They have got to be. Even they talked about a Trent.”

“The same thought came to my mind. Do you know anybody by that name?”

Ellie shook her head. 

“One of his old enemies?” Dina suggested.

“It could be, but there’s just so many of them. Joel once told me that he was on both sides, and he’s done some pretty bad stuff too. So, it could be anyone.”

“Maybe they’re from that cannibal group you told me about? They have enough reason to hunt him down.”

“I don’t think so,” Ellie replied. “It doesn’t feel like them. Like I said, there’s no telling who this is until we actually come across them.”

“We could try and follow the road Jene talked about. See if we find anything.”

“I think that’s our only option.” 

“What do we do about her?” Dina asked.

“We can’t kill her,” Ellie said. “There’d be too many consequences to that, and we’d never be able to explain it.”

“We can just leave. It’s going to be morning soon, and we won’t have much time before someone comes around and realises she’s not home.”

“Let’s do that.” She turned around to face Jene, who was breathing heavily as she looked at the two girls.

“Don’t kill me,” Jene pleaded. “Take whatever you want.”

“You weren’t actually concerned for your people, were you?” Ellie asked with revulsion. “You just wanted to save your own skin. You don’t give a fuck if your people die. You’re scared that if that group comes back, you’ll be next on the list.”

Jene bowed her head.

“You’re pathetic.”

Ellie and Dina quickly bagged their possessions. There wasn’t much for them to do, considering they had only taken off their jackets in the night. They headed out the door, leaving Jene still tied up.

“Wait, where are you going? You can’t leave me like this!”

Ellie barely acknowledged her as she shut the door and locked it with the key they retrieved from Jene’s jacket. 

“I found a few bottles of alcohol in the kitchen,” Dina said as they headed back to the gates through the streets. “It could come handy if we come across bloaters.”

“I hope we don’t.” 

“How’s your arm feel?”

Ellie moved it a little, gauging the pain. “Still hurts a bit, but I can live with it.”

“As long as you don’t manage to pull the stitches out, we should be fine.”

“I really wanted to kill her, Dina,” Ellie suddenly confessed. “And I think I would have, if you weren’t there.”

“Honestly, I wanted to as well. But I don’t think you would have. It isn’t worth it.”

“Let’s hope we never find out.”

They turned the corner onto the main street and the gates appeared. Two barrels with fire in them lit the area. It was still deserted in the town, with Ellie and Dina having come across only a handful of residents through their walk from the guesthouse to the gates.

“I haven’t seen you around here,” the guard said as Ellie and Dina approached him. He was seated atop one of the guard posts. He looked the same age as the two of them. The guard that let them in the previous day wasn’t around.

“We came in yesterday evening,” Dina replied.

“Oh? Leaving so soon?”

“Yeah, going back home.”

“Let me guess, you two are from Jackson?”

“Jesus, can he open the damn gates?” Ellie muttered in annoyance to herself.

“We are. Can you open the gates?” Dina asked. “We’re in a hurry.”

“Of course,” the guard replied, climbing down the ladder. “Just give me a second.” He disappeared into the guard cabin.

“I’ll fetch Chucky till then,” Ellie said, heading towards the horse shed. Just like Jackson, the shed was where the visitors’ horses were kept. It was empty at the moment, except for her horse. He whinnied as soon as he saw Ellie.

“Come on boy. Did you eat enough?” she asked him, looking at the empty basket in front of him. She climbed on and led him outside to where the guard was still talking to Dina. She stopped next to her.

“Let me know the next time you two are here. We’ll do something together,” the guard said cheerfully.

*

Dina sat at the reins. Ellie’s head rested against her, asleep. She had spent most of the past few days worrying about Joel. She had refused to stop and get sleep, so Dina had forced Ellie to let her lead Chucky, and Ellie to rest. 

They had come across the river crossing an hour ago. It had been fairly easy to find it once they had gotten past the fallen trees. 

Dina had arrived at Jackson when she was about ten, shortly after Tommy and Maria had set up the town. It was just a few houses with a few families then, but it had grown rapidly over the years. Her mother had died in an ambush by a hunter group. She had made Dina promise to stay hidden and not help, no matter what happened, and Dina had obeyed, frozen in terror under the table long after they had dragged her mother away and long after the bullet sounds still echoed in her head. 

She didn’t remember her father, but she had clung onto the memories of her mother as much as she could. They had guided her for the next months that she spent on her own. A tough survivor for her age, she had come across a wounded man while on a supply run. Reluctant at first, she had given him some of her medical supplies. He’d turned out to be Tommy who brought her to Jackson and introduced her to Maria. From then, she had made the small town her home.

Dina had been reclusive, at first, and had found it difficult to adjust, but as she gradually got used to her new life, she found an entire community willingly accept her. There weren’t many kids of her age yet, but she met Jesse when he and his parents arrived a year after she did. He was a year elder to her. 

Tommy had given her a small house when she was thirteen, similar to Ellie’s and she had grown up in that, decorating it with as many books as she could find. She was popular amongst the town people, especially with the mothers, having a way with the kids. 

When Ellie and Joel made it to Jackson, the two girls had become close right away. They found themselves spending a lot of time together since they couldn’t leave the walls by themselves. In just a few months, they had become inseparable. Together with others like Jesse and Charlie, they were rarely ever found by themselves.

They had several misadventures to their name as well, like when Ellie had been caught trying to sneak alcohol out of Arin’s bar. It had earned them a talk with Maria, but it was nothing compared to the fun they had with the bottles that weren’t discovered.

Jacob, the town’s gunsmith, had taught her to use the rifle, though she found the pistol to be her favourite companion. She wasn’t a natural shot like Ellie, but she had worked on it enough to be able to shoot at the infected and get them down with relative ease. Her passion, however, became riding. When Graham had found Saber, he had allowed Dina to lay claim and name him. 

When things between Dina and Jesse had ended, Ellie had been the one to break her out of her shell. It wasn’t until a party a few months later, that Dina had realised she’d developed feelings for Ellie. She didn’t know how it had happened, but since it had, her first reaction had been to stifle it. However, the more it had refused to go away, the more accepting she had become of it, until she was completely sure of what she wanted to do. 

Dina was always closest to Ellie, and that showed through the things they did together. There were a lot of things Ellie had taught her, and she had taught Ellie. She knew perfectly well what Ellie planned to do the night before they were to leave for New Town, and there was no way she was going to let her go alone. Ellie would never ask for help if there was bound to be danger involved, but that never deterred Dina.

She wasn’t close to Joel like Ellie was, but she knew the two of them were like two peas in a pod. Joel and her had never talked much, but she took it upon herself to help Ellie because she knew what Joel meant to her. And whatever the cost, that was something she would always do. 

*

Dina’s scarf covered most of her face to keep away the biting cold. She watched the mountains in the distance slowly move with her. She had always loved the brown of the trees painted against the white of the snow, though like most others, she would much rather it was spring. However, it was tranquil.

Her thoughts were disturbed when, without warning, Chucky neighed, nearly rearing up on his hind legs.

“Calm down,” Dina comforted him. “What’s wrong?” She looked around to see if there was any wild animal near them that had triggered the horse.

Then she saw it.

*

“What is that?” Ellie asked, sliding off. 

Hidden next to a tree off the path, a small brownish object protruded from the snow. They certainly wouldn’t have seen it if Chucky had not stopped.

“I don’t know, but it’s really got him all riled up,” Dina replied.

The two cautiously walked up to their discovery. For an instant, they couldn’t make anything of it. Then, they realised what it was.

It was a horse. The rest of the body was covered by the scurry of snow over the days since its death.

“Jesus,” Ellie whispered, crouching next to it. “This is probably what freaked him out.” She gently began pushing away the natural snowy shroud. The animal had been frozen solid, barely decayed. Its eyes were open. A large gaping maroon hole shone on its side, most probably from a bullet wound.

She froze up as she saw the saddle.

“Ellie?” Dina asked.

She reached for it, immediately realising whose it was. “That’s Joel’s. I remember when he had this made for him.”

“Shit. What happened here?” Dine looked around for anything that might tell them the story.

“I don’t know. But it seems like Jene was telling the truth. Maybe he tried to run after whoever these people were got their hands on him.”

“Well, whoever they are, they definitely went through here.”

“His horse has been here for a few days, at least,” Ellie said, noticing the layers covering his horse. “We need to hurry. They might still have him at that town.”


	8. Ghosts

Joel pushed himself into a sitting position groggily. A splitting pain enveloped his shoulder. His legs felt like they had been battered, and his head hurt as if it was being hammered. His clothes were torn in several places and bloody marks were scattered all over. All of his weapons had been taken away.

The light nearly blinded him at first. As his eyes adjusted, he looked around. It was a tiny room, devoid of anything but a blanket. It was lit only by a single flickering bulb that precariously hung from the ceiling. There weren’t any windows. It was as if the room was meant to keep prisoners.

His memory was hazy as he tried to recall how he had gotten there. He remembered being accosted by the armed group when he’d left New Town. He remembered trying to escape on his horse and then the animal getting shot, sending him crashing into a tree. He remembered the sound of cars. He remembered being dragged in a dazed state. That was as far as his memory went, broken fragments of what had occurred. It gave him a headache to even think about that much.

He massaged his forehead, and then got onto his feet. He could barely even balance himself, stumbling around. Taking the support of the walls, he moved towards the door and tried the handle. 

It was locked.

He tried to pull at it with all the strength he could muster, but it didn’t help one bit. He then thrust his shoulder into it, causing himself more pain. It simply refused to move. He kicked and punched it. Again, nothing.

Finally, he took a step back. Why was he in a room like this?

There was nothing in there that he could use to break himself out. He suddenly realised he was shivering through his ruined clothes. He sat down and reached for the blanket, wrapping it around him and trying to force the cold out of his mind.

He heaved a sigh of exhaustion. Where was he?

Jene had never given him an explanation when that group had arrived. He had thought she knew them, but when they had pointed a gun at him and she had simply walked away, he knew he was in trouble. There were far too many of them for him to take on alone. 

None of them had answered any of his questions, neither did he recognise any of them. But he was sure of one thing- this was something personal.

*

The Sinclair Chemical Plant identified itself by the lopsided signboard on the fence, although it would be hard to miss owing to the massive machinery that dominated the landscape. It was once the envy of many, now, just reduced to large rusted metal parts. 

“What do you think they made in there?” Dina asked.

“I don’t know. Some chemicals maybe,” Ellie shrugged, earning a raised brow from Dina in response. “I’ve never been inside one.”

“So, where’d you get that burn on your arm? I thought you were messing around in a place like this.”

“Joel and I were in a warehouse. It was on a shelf. I was reaching for something and I guess I knocked the container over.”

“Remind me to not be clumsy in abandoned warehouses.” Dina eyed the chemical tanks. “Imagine working in a place like this.”

“It wouldn’t be easy. You’d need to know a lot of stuff. 

“Yeah… I bet it would be really hard. I remember Tommy said it took months for him to learn how to repair parts of the hydro plant.” She pulled the jacket closer around herself. 

“Is it just me or is it colder than it was ten minutes ago?”

“It’s getting worse,” Ellie agreed. She looked at the falling snow. 

“You think we should find shelter until it passes? We both know how bad it can get if we’re caught in it.”

“No, we’re nearly there. Look, there’s the crossroads Jene told us about. The town shouldn’t be very far off now. A couple of miles is what she said.”

A rusted metal board stood at the juncture. It was completely bent out of shape and the writing on it had erased years ago. The road they were to take curved upwards. 

“I don’t remember the last time I was this far out of Jackson. Do you?” Dina asked.

“There’s rarely ever any reason to. The last time I went out really far was the year before the last, when Joel took me to that town for my birthday,” Ellie recalled.

“Yeah, I remember that. You grinned like an idiot straight for a week after that.”

She chuckled. “That was a good day, yeah.”

*

“I think I see the town,” Ellie told Dina. The snow had reduced their visibility to just a few metres ahead of them. Chucky didn’t seem comfortable either. 

Dina squinted. “I can vaguely make it out.”

“That’s gotta be it. We’ll walk it from here.”

The two jumped off Chucky. They were fairly off the road leading to the town and there didn’t seem to be anybody around them. 

“Stay here, boy,” Ellie comforted the horse. “We’ll be right back.”

“How are we going to get out of here if we find Joel? Chucky can’t take the three of us.”

“We’ll figure it out. Stick to the trees,” she instructed Dina as they began making their way towards the town. 

The trees and the weather provided ample cover for them. The first thing they noticed were the abandoned vehicles. A couple of people moved around outside.

“They’re still here,” Ellie said with relief. “We just need to figure out if they’re keeping Joel here.”

“He could be in any one of these places,” Dina said. 

There were less than a dozen scattered buildings. They watched as a young woman exited the house closest to them. It appeared to be the largest. 

“Let’s check inside that one,” Ellie decided. It was near the woods as well, so they would be able to make it there with relative ease.

Ellie peeked in through the window once they reached it. There seemed to be nobody in the house, though there were a few guns laying on the table. She tried to open the window, but it was locked from the inside.

“This isn’t going to open up,” she said. “We can’t risk breaking it either. It’ll be too loud.”

“Ellie, up there. That window’s open. You think you can get up?”

There was an overhanging ledge above the window, and just over that, the window that Dina was pointing to. 

“I think so,” Ellie replied. “Boost me up.” 

She placed her foot on Dina’s hands and jumped as soon as the girl thrust them up. She caught hold of the ledge and pulled herself up, barely holding on with the narrow gripping space.

Steadying herself for a second, she felt the pain return to her arm. Some of her stitches had most probably been torn. Ignoring it, she pried the cold metal of the window open with her fingers, sending the gathered snow down onto Dina. She crept in and waited to see if anyone had heard her.

A few sleeping bags covered part of the floor, along with stockpiles of food and water. There were muddy bootprints all over. They led in and out of the room.

Discarded cans were piled up in one corner. Empty bottles of water and alcohol sat in another. She had counted about two people outside, but judging from the bags and other things in there, there would have to be at least twice that.

There was a diary that was half-concealed by a sleeping bag. She picked it up. It had a black cover. The pages had turned yellow over the years. It belonged to a Sophie. She flipped through it, until a random page opened in front of her.

There was a lot of indecipherable doodling on it and some writing. 

_Mel and Josh still haven’t come back yet. They were supposed to return by night, but there’s no sign of them. Trent leaves tomorrow with the rest of his group. It’s just us for a while now._

Ellie turned the page when a noise caught her attention. She bagged the diary to read later and opened the door by a crack. She couldn’t hear anything. 

She stepped out. The stairs led down into the living room. The noise came through again, from the bedroom directly opposite her. Pulling out her knife, she pushed down the door handle and quietly swung the door open. 

A blonde-haired woman rested on the floor, handcuffed awkwardly to the metal bedpost. Her wrist had turned raw from pulling at the restraint. Her face was covered with bruises. She was half-slumped half-sitting. An empty plate and a knocked over glass sat by her side. The window was ajar, clattering against the metal with the wind.

Ellie cautiously moved over to her and checked if the woman was breathing. She couldn’t feel anything. Her skin had gone cold at this point.

There was no response, even when Ellie shook her. “Hey. Can you hear me?” She checked her pulse.

The woman was definitely dead.

Exhaling, Ellie stood up and looked around for anything that might be useful.

Then the stairs creaked. 

She froze, listening. The creak sounded again. There was nowhere to hide in the room without cornering herself. Going out of the window wasn’t an option either. It faced the street. Ellie quietly made for the open door, her blade on the ready. She prepared herself to swing out and take them by surprise. 

Another sound.

Another.

Ellie swung around the corner and stopped her weapon just short of the woman’s neck.

“Jesus!” 

Dina stood in front of her, breathing rapidly. She clearly had had the fright of her life when Ellie had appeared suddenly, brandishing a knife.

“What are you doing inside?” Ellie asked.

“I-I got worried cause you were taking too long,” Dina answered as she broke out of her stupor. “I found a way in through the basement and fuck… don’t ever do that again.”

“I thought you were one of them.”

“No shit… Who’s this?” She looked past Ellie into the room.

“I think that’s the New Town woman that Jene said was missing- Jude.”

“Is she even alive?” Dina asked.

“No. She’s gone. I don’t know how long she’s been like this.”

Dina took a long glance at the corpse before turning away. 

“Did you find anything?” Ellie asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing. This place is empty. Let’s keep checking.”

Ellie looked out of the window. Without a doubt, there was a storm headed their way. She spotted the same woman they had seen exiting that building hurry down the street towards a car, carrying something in her hands. “No, I have a better plan.”

*

The woman placed the bag in the trunk of the military jeep. She shivered in the cold wind and rubbed her hands together for warmth. For a second, she looked to her side. She could swear that she had heard something. Shaking her head, she resumed her work, chalking it up to the heavy snow that was making her imagine things. She just wanted to get back into the house and ride the weather out. 

“Can’t believe we’re finally leaving,” she said to the man who was checking the engine. “Another day and I would have gone nuts.” She waited for a response. “Ken? You hearing me?” 

She began walking around to the front of the car and found him lying in the snow. She immediately reached for her pistol, but a hand clamped down on her mouth and a knife pressed against her neck.

*

“Don’t make a sound,” Ellie hissed. “Where is Joel?”

The woman didn’t reply.

“Tell me where he is or I’m going to start with you and kill every one of you here.”

“You won’t be able to.”

“Don’t test me,” Ellie snapped at her, bring the cold steel closer.

“They took him back to the city a few days ago,” the woman answered.

“City?” 

“Salt Lake City.”

Ellie felt a cold descend through her. “What’s in Salt Lake City?”

She didn’t say anything again.

Ellie reached for the locket around the woman’s neck. It would only confirm her fear.

“The Fireflies…” she whispered. Her throat went dry. They couldn’t possibly have taken Joel. 

“Fireflies? What do they want with Joel?” Dina asked, confused. “I thought they were gone. That’s what Eugene said.”

“We’re stronger than ever,” the woman said proudly. She went quiet. “You must be that girl he did everything for. Your old man is with Abraham now. You can forget about seeing him ever again. He’s going to get what’s coming to him.”

“Ellie, what is she talking about?”

Ellie lips tightened. “You should have thought twice about coming here,” she said, sliding the knife across the woman’s throat.

The first bullet whistled past her, embedding itself into a tree.

She instinctively ducked, looking around. Pushing the dying woman away, she jumped behind the vehicle with Dina. She slumped down with her back against the metal, staring at the blood-soaked snow.

“They killed Sophie!”

“We have to get back to Chucky,” Dina urged Ellie. She took a quick glimpse around the side of the vehicle. “They’re coming. Ellie! We can’t sit here. Move!” She grabbed Ellie’s hand and broke into a sprint. “Can you see him?” 

“There!" 

The two got on and Dina flicked at the reins. 

“Don’t let them get away!”

One of the bullets ricocheted off the tree, sending splinters flying their way.

“Do you see them?” Dina yelled. 

“Barely! There’s two of them!” Ellie loaded her rifle and fired at the men on their horses. The shot missed.

There was incomprehensible yelling from the Fireflies. They distanced themselves, firing from different angles.

“We can’t keep this up!” Dina urged Ellie. “We’re going to have to lose them and get out of this storm! None of us are going to make it otherwise”

“I’m not fucking missing on purpose!” Ellie flinched as a bullet narrowly missed her. Any of the next could have their name on it.

“Keep shooting!”

Ellie pulled back the bolt and shot. One of the men collapsed from the horse. “I got one!”

The other man continued to come at them.

“Hold on!” Dina veered Chucky off path and further into the trees. She swerved in and out of the giant trunks in their way as Ellie continued to fire in the direction of their chaser.

“I think we lost him!”

“I can’t see properly with this snow! We need to get inside somewhere.”

After a few long minutes, Ellie sighted a store. “There! We can stop there!” 

“Help me get this up,” Dina said, lifting up the shutter after they had barely made it alive. As Ellie held it high, Dina led Chucky in. It closed with a slam when she let go, although most of the sound was drowned by the howling wind.

“That was too close.”

Dina placed her hands on her knees, taking a moment. “What happened to you back there? What did she mean by ‘you’re the girl he did everything for’? What did Joel do?”

“It’s… a long story.”

“Ellie, how did she know you?”

“Dina, I… watch out!” 

Ellie pushed the girl out of the way just as the stalker ran towards them. It jumped onto her, sending her crashing onto the floor. She held its neck in both hands, trying to keep herself from getting her throat torn out. 

It thrashed wildly above her. It was stronger, and she was one momentary lapse away from death. She tried to push it off of her, but it was moving far too much. She reached for her knife and plunged it into the creature just in time as its teeth were a hairbreadth away from her skin. It fell limp over her. 

She rolled the body off her and saw Dina struggling with another stalker. She rushed over and pulled it away from the girl, thrusting her knife deep again. 

She stepped over the body and faced Dina, short of breath. The sweat trickled down her face.

“We should’ve cleared the place out first,” she panted. 

“Ellie…”

Ellie looked at Dina’s horrified face. She followed her eyes and looked at her shoulder. 

Her t-shirt was torn. She touched it and found her fingers sticky with blood. 

She had been bit.


	9. Truths and Lies

Joel sat against the wall, and stared blankly at the door. It had been a day since he had found himself a captive within those four walls. He had hunted for any way to escape, but there was simply nothing. No amount of yelling and kicking the door had done him any good.

He looked at his cracked watch. It was just before nine. He hadn’t gotten any sleep over the previous night, turning his eyes red and he had barely moved from his position. He hadn’t eaten anything either, and the only bottle of water in the room now rolled on its side under his fingers.

He still had no idea where he was, neither any about who these people were. All he had in that tiny room was his thoughts to keep him company. He sat silently, cursing himself for getting caught in such a situation.

When his patience had run finally thin, he got up and walked the few short steps to the door. 

He hammered his fist against the wood. “Open the damn door and let me out!” The door shook with his effort, but other than that, it didn’t budge from its place.

Sighing, he walked back to his spot, when he heard the click of the lock. He turned around, as the door slowly opened and two armed men entered.

“Face the wall,” one of them instructed Joel.

Joel simply stood there.

“Look at the wall behind you, old man. Don’t go giving me a reason to put a bullet in you.”

He shrugged at the men.

“Didn’t you fucking hear what I said?” The man closer to Joel threateningly strode towards him. “Or are you fuc-”

It all happened in a blur for the two. Joel twisted the gun away from the man and fired it at the one near the door, sending blood spurting from the back of his head. The now unarmed man had no time to plead for his life before he felt the hot barrel explode under his chin. He fell over backwards with the shock etched on his face.

Joel leapt over the two bodies, and looked down the corridor. It was empty. He raced across and took cover by the bend. As he peeked out, fragments of the wall near his head exploded, showering him with concrete. 

He blindly fired back. More bullets crashed against the wall. He could hear yelling and the sound of running footsteps. He eyed the corridor and suddenly, he knew where he was.

“Drop your weapon, Joel,” a voice commanded him. “There’s nowhere to go.”

Joel took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He checked the magazine. There weren’t more than a couple of rounds left. There didn’t seem to be any other way. He cautiously stepped out into the sight of a half a dozen men wielding rifles, dropping the weapon on the floor. 

A man rushed towards him. The last thing he felt was the butt of the rifle against his face.

*

Ellie pushed aside the bloodied clothing. The teeth marks shone on her torn skin, leaking a thin scarlet river. 

“No… no…” Dina began getting hysterical. “This can’t be real.”

Ellie stood silent, stunned, as if waiting to feel the fungus course through her veins. 

“Oh God… I should’ve seen it coming…” Dina began to tear up.

Ellie took a step towards her. “Dina, nothing is going to happen to me. I can’t turn into-”

“I fucked up, Ellie! You can’t turn! Not you!”

“Hey, calm down.” She wrapped her arms around Dina. “Listen to me.”

“What are we going to do? It wasn’t supposed to end like this…”

“Dina, I’m not going to turn into one of them. I’m immune.”

“What…?” 

“I’m already infected. It was a long time ago and… it’s made me immune.”

Dina pulled away from Ellie, a puzzled look on her face. “That makes no sense. How can you be infected?”

“I… I was bitten years ago. But I never turned.”

“How is that even possible?”

“The cordyceps in my brain had mutated and it just never affected me like the others.”

“But how?” Dina asked with disbelief. “You- you always wear your gas mask.”

Ellie shook her head. 

“You knew you couldn’t get infected and you kept it to yourself all this time? What the fuck, Ellie?”

“I really wanted to tell you! Only Joel, Tommy and Maria know, and they made me promise to keep it to myself.”

“But, why? Why would they make you hide it? You could be the answer to the outbreak!”

“Yeah,” Ellie whispered sadly. “I thought so too.”

*

Joel opened his eyes, his face throbbing. A metallic taste lingered on his lips. His hands were tied behind him and he was seated on a chair. In front of him, sat a bearded man intently watching him.

“You do live up to your reputation, Joel. I told those two not to take you lightly.”

Joel blinked a few times, and tried to sit up. His mind was clouded with confusion for a moment. Then, it all came back to him.

“I almost expected you to go soft in Jackson, but you’re the same man who came to this hospital four years ago,” the man said.

Joel looked around him. It was a large room.

“Do you remember where you are?” the man asked him, gesturing at the room. “This is where you killed the doctors that could have found a cure.”

“I killed the people that were going to slaughter an innocent girl,” Joel shot back.

“She may have been innocent, but she would have changed everything. None of us would ever be infected again. But you took that from us. There were innocent people here that you murdered in cold blood, men and women who were only carrying out their duty.”

“The Fireflies ain’t innocent. You all pretend to be saviours of the people, but you’re the same as FEDRA. Worse than them, if anything.”

The man’s upper lip twitched. He pulled his jacket sleeve up, baring his left arm. 

“Do you remember this?” he asked, showing Joel the disfigured bullet wound. “You shot me while escaping with that girl. Lucky for me, I survived.”

“So, what? You’re going to kill me for revenge?”

“That’s exactly what I’m going to do. Not just for me, but for everyone. Do you know what happened after your rampage?”

Joel glared at him.

The man seemed to not be fazed in the least. “Marlene was the reason the Fireflies were united. Everywhere we fought against the military government. It was years of fighting. When you killed her, everything nearly fell apart. Everything that we worked so hard for. I’d found those doctors and escorted them safely here. They had everything they needed. And then you decided it wasn’t worth saving lives. It took me years to build back what we lost. People had lost hope and everyone wanted to come for the Fireflies. But no, that wasn’t going to happen once I took charge.”

“You’re the same as Marlene. You think you’re doing something good, but all you do is what suits you. You have no damn conscience.”

“That’s what makes us leaders, Joel. We’re willing to do what you aren’t. We take the hard decisions that people like you can’t. Smugglers like you, who played the side that kept them alive. Look around. Do you think the Fireflies are finished?” 

“I should have killed all of you when I had the chance. Get it over with,” Joel spat. “I got nothing to say to someone like you.”

“After what you’ve done, you think I’m going to just kill you? No. I’m going to make you pay. And once I’m done with things here, I promise you, I’m going to kill the girl and burn down Jackson.”

Joel sharply inhaled, struggling against the rope. “Don’t bring her into this,” he whispered. “She wasn’t a part.”

“You made her a part of this when you ran away with her,” the man said. “I read the reports and I saw her file. I heard what the doctors had to say. She was the answer to all of this. She was the miracle we all needed. We had capable doctors who knew what they were doing.”

“There was no damn cure, and those sure as hell weren’t capable doctors. They were just animals like you. The Fireflies pretend like they’re doing right, when all they do is murder civilians. I’ve seen what you’ve done in places like Boston. Killing people who had nothing to do with you in the name of freedom. Ellie didn’t deserve to die in a place like this. She’s a kid whose got a lot more life left in her, and I’ll be damned if I was going to let her die.”

“Did you save her because of that, or because you got attached to her and couldn’t bear to get separated? I know you had a daughter, Joel. I know-”

“Don’t you fuckin’ talk about Sarah!”

“-she died a long time ago. You began to see her in this girl, didn’t you?”

“Don’t. Talk. About. Her.” Joel grit his teeth.

“You were just scared of losing someone you cared for again. And you doomed us all doing that. You could have saved everyone by simply walking away.”

Joel didn’t say a word, staring at the man. 

“Your actions made sure that this nightmare outside will never end,” the man said. He looked morose as he spoke. “You killed my brother too that day. That’s something I’m not going to forgive.”

The door suddenly swung open. A heavily panting man with a rifle in his hand stumbled in.

“Abraham, they took out our northern guard!” he huffed.

Abraham nodded his head and stood up. “Send him to the third floor,” he said, eyeing Joel. “Make sure he doesn’t run again. I’ll be there once I’ve dealt with this.” 

*

“When we got to Salt Lake City, I nearly drowned in one of the flooded tunnels,” Ellie told Dina, narrating what she remembered from the trip across the country. The two sat side by side on the floor. Ellie’s hand was pressed on the cloth covering the bite mark.

“And… I don’t remember anything after that,” she continued. “I woke up in the car and all Joel said was that there were dozens more like me, and that the Fireflies had stopped looking for a cure. He swore that was the truth.”

“So, there are more people like you who are immune?” Dina asked.

“No… He lied about it.”

“Why?”

Ellie sighed loudly. “Because they would have to kill me. The cordyceps was in my brain, and the only way they could study it was to study my brain. And that would mean that they’d have to open me up.”

Dina gasped. “But… you agreed to it?”

She shook her head again. “I told you, the last thing I remember was nearly drowning. I don’t remember anything after that. Not the hospital, not the Fireflies, nothing.”

“So, Joel didn’t allow them to?”

“He… uh… he killed all of the doctors and the Fireflies when he found out, and carried me out of there, back to Jackson.”

Dina nodded slowly.

“We might have had the cure, Dina, if he had just let the doctors do their work. And now I’m here, perfectly immune, and people around me continue to die.”

“Did Joel ever say why?”

“He said that the decision was mine to make, and the Fireflies were wrong to try and kill me. But were they? I was the last hope they had. I was the last hope anyone had. I watched Riley become one of the infected in front of me. I watched Tess, a woman I didn’t know, give up her life for me so I could get to Salt Lake City. Eugene. Jesse’s dad. Mike. There are so many people that would be around today. And now it’s all gone. Gone, because Joel was selfish. And he covered it up with lies. He didn’t even tell me the truth for so many years.”

“That’s a lot to take in. Is that why you’ve been distant with him?” Dina asked.

“Yeah. I don’t know what to make of it. How could he have saved me? Imagine yourself in his position. Even you would have let me go if it could have meant a chance at a cure.”

“I… I don’t think so, Ellie.”

Ellie turned her head. 

“Were they sure they could have come up with a cure?” Dina asked.

“I don’t know. They probably would have had to study the mutation and then work on one.”

“Then, I think I would’ve done the same as Joel,” she answered softly. “I wouldn’t have let them take you.”

“Wait, how can you say that? Dina, we’re talking about a chance to save everyone we know.”

“But what if you had died and they couldn’t do anything with it? That’s not a risk any of us would take.”

“A risk? What’s a risk against the possibility of a cure!”

“It’s not that simple. You weren’t even awake when they planned to kill you. How could they do that? You would never have known it was going to happen. I… don’t blame Joel for what he did. After everything you two went through, it probably wasn’t an easy decision for him to make.”

“But that has nothing to do with it!”

“It had everything to do with it! Look, I don’t know what it’s like to be burdened with something like this. And I’m not saying that what Joel did was the right thing, but tell me, what would you do if it was him who was immune and not you, and you had to let the Fireflies kill him?”

“I…” Ellie mumbled, not meeting Dina’s gaze. 

“Ellie?”

“Fine! I’d do the same! But how am I supposed to live with something like this? How am I supposed to wake up every morning and not think about all the people who died because of me?”

“Because it’s not your fault! You didn’t owe anybody anything, and you still don’t. I know you want to see a cured world, but what were the chances of one? And what about the fact that you wouldn’t even be in it!”

“Yeah… I wouldn’t,” Ellie whispered. She looked outside through the dirty glass. “The storm’s passed. Let’s get a head start before the Fireflies show up again.” 

“Let me have a look at the bite again,” Dina said, moving Ellie’s hand from the cloth. It had stopped oozing blood now. “I won’t have to stitch it up.”

Ellie nodded. “Salt Lake City shouldn’t be very far off now.”

“You remember how to get there?”

“Once we get to the highway, it shouldn’t be too difficult to figure it out.” 

*

Night approached as the two girls rode through the hilly areas towards Salt Lake City. Although Ellie had been there four years before, the road she and Joel had taken back then had been different. The hills made for a straight path that they could follow up until they met the highway. 

The evening was peaceful. The dimming skies would light their way for another hour at least. 

“You haven’t said anything in a while,” Dina said.

“Don’t feel like it.”

“The bite’s not… acting up, right?” 

“No.”

“Listen, about what you told me earlier, I know there’s a lot going on in your head right now. I know it’s not easy for you, but I just want to tell you that you don’t have to do this alone. I’m here if you need me.”

Ellie nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”

It was a second too late when she heard the beep. 

There was a deafening blast that sent her flying onto the snow-laden ground. She landed with a thud. The wind knocked out of her; she groaned pitifully. The trees above her swam across her vision. She clutched her hands against her ears, trying to drown out the loud painful ringing. She felt the flashes of pain across her body as she curled up.

She felt her hands being pried away from her ears. A bloodied face appeared above hers, lips moving. Ellie tried to focus on them, but none of it seemed to make sense.  
As the pain in her ears reduced, she heard Dina’s voice desperately yelling at her.

“Ellie, run!”

The sheer terror in her voice roused a primal response in Ellie. The adrenalin rushed through her as she grabbed Dina’s hand and stood up shakily. The two girls supported each other, hurrying away from the area. 

The slope of the hillside made it difficult for them to move quickly. Ellie could hear voices fast approaching them.

A loud gunshot startled her, causing her to lose her balance. She caught Dina’s hand without a second thought, sending them both crashing down.

Then everything went blank.


	10. Ascension, Part I

Ellie found herself lying in the snow as her eyes flickered open. She sat up gingerly. It was dark around her. She reached for her bag and realised it was missing. Her pistol had fallen out too, although her blade was still in its sheath.

She had no inkling of where she had wound up. She was out in the open, vulnerable, at the worst possible time of the day. Lifting up her jacket and shirt, she found a sizable discoloured bruise on her side that sent the pain thundering through her as soon as she laid a finger on it. The knife wound on her arm had begun leaking blood again. She just hoped she hadn’t broken any bones.

Shivering, she stood up. She pulled out her knife and scanned the area around her. There were no sounds, a silence that inspired unease in her. She took a few unsteady steps to see if she could spot Dina, but there was no sign of her. 

Her eyes began to adapt to the lack of light. There was a large blackish lump a few metres away from her, that turned out to be her bag. Reaching in for the flashlight, she shined it in her vicinity, lighting the dark terrain. 

“Dina?” she whispered weakly, waiting for a response.

Nothing.

“Dina?” This time louder.

Nothing again.

Her rifle lay close to a tree up a slight climb. She picked it up and checked to see if it was alright. Her pistol, however, was nowhere to be seen, and neither was her bow. There was no time to hunt around for them in the dark.

She stood still, forcing her mind to go through the past events. Chucky had definitely stepped on a land mine. She recalled Dina’s panicked voice, and then running with her. She remembered falling together, but the other girl was nowhere near. She had disappeared. 

The thought of Chucky made Ellie emotional. There was no way he could have survived the blast. It pained her to think of what had happened. But she had to see it for herself.

She began trekking up the slope until she came across the narrow pathway that they had been following. She walked a few steps until her light fell on what remained of Chucky.

The misshapen dead animal lay by the side, a mangled mix of scarlet and black along his underside. Reddish spots tainted the area. She stared in horror at the horse that had been by her side for years. She had never left Jackson’s walls without him.

She turned away from the sight and vomited. The tears rimmed her eyes. Lightheaded, she wiped the spit with the sleeves of her jacket. Her hands shook violently as she glanced back upon the horse. With closed eyes, she tried her best to stifle the sob. The remnants of the explosive lay in the middle of the track, a blackish brown crater amongst the white. If they hadn’t been shielded by Chucky, the two girls would have been blown to bits.

“Dina?” Ellie called out again once she had choked back the tears, but there was no reply. 

Hunters, and even raiders, were known to ambush unsuspecting people. And by the fact that the mine hadn’t been buried under layers and layers of snow, it had been placed relatively recently. It didn’t seem like the Fireflies, however. 

When Ellie felt like she had gathered herself, she decided to address her open wound. Tearing off a piece of a cloth from her bag, she tightly wrapped it around her arm to stem any further bleeding, and above her waist. She kept glancing about to make sure the infected didn’t catch her off guard.

She had no idea what the path held. Other than the fact that it would eventually take her to the highway if she followed its direction, what lay in between was anyone’s guess. Her only option was to keep going and see what she could find. Dina had to be somewhere around.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered to Chucky as she wiped the stray tears. “Thank you for everything.” She stroked his mane gently and laid a kiss on his head. Then, she set off.

*

An ominous silence prevailed over the town. From the hillside, Ellie had spotted lights, that had turned out to be from a cluster of buildings in the middle of town. The explosives had to have been placed by whoever was living there. Her first guess would be a group that had taken to robbing unsuspecting travelers.

Broken down buildings, with walls that had cascaded down years ago, lined each side. Vehicles littered the streets haphazardly, but that wasn’t what caught her attention. It was the sheer number of FEDRA vehicles. She could count ten just from where she was standing. 

She cautiously headed down the street, keeping her eyes peeled for anything that might move. She pulled her jacket closer around herself. Most of the vans seemed wrecked beyond repair. Covered with snow and rust, they had been lying there idly for a long time. A majority of them seemed to have been picked dry for their parts.

FEDRA didn’t have more than a few spots that they controlled across the country, including Boston, as far as Ellie knew. She had seen tons of their vehicles and soldiers back in her quarantine zone. However, this place was far away from any of those zones. It made no sense to her as to what the military was doing this far removed from their strongholds.

The buildings she had noticed from higher ground were somewhere to her west, which would roughly be a few more streets of walking. Most of the streetlights had fallen over onto the ground or were bent precariously against walls or buildings, with their wires dangling perilously. None of them were switched on, making Ellie rely solely on her flashlight. 

As she walked with the lone light guiding her path, she realised that a lot of the vehicles had turned on their sides and were charred. Windshields appeared cracked, and she could still make out skeletons in some of the vehicles. Strapped in FEDRA gear, their bodies had completely decomposed, leaving behind nothing but an untold tale. The whole place looked like it had been a warzone, painting a gloomy picture of what might have occurred.

As she came across the corner onto the next street, she noticed the few infected that stood outside the buildings she was heading for. The light shone down on them enough for her to count three. They were runners, and they seemed to have turned only recently. It was odd to her that there would be any infected people this close to a settlement. There were no walls to keep out outsiders like Jackson did, or any sentries around. She had to be on her guard.

She took cover by the car nearest to the runners. Fishing out a sizable stone from under the snow, she lobbed it at a nearby jeep, catching the attention of one of the runners. It proceeded to traipse over to the source of the noise, leaving her to deal with only two. 

With a deep breath, Ellie quietly snuck up behind them and in quick succession, put down the two. She had to make sure she didn’t make too much of a ruckus. 

The last runner stood where the stone had landed, its back to her. As she proceeded to stab it, she felt a sharp pain shoot up her thigh. She looked down at the source. Sticking out of the side of her leg was a dart. She pulled it out and let it fall, breaking into a cold sweat as the implications registered in her mind.

Without a second glance, she broke into a sprint, shoving aside the last infected and sending it crashing into the car. She heard heavy footsteps pursuing her that only spurred her to run faster.

She blindly ran past the numerous vehicles on the streets. Her eyelids were becoming heavier with every passing second. She just wanted to just lay down on the ground and go off to sleep. 

She jumped over a wall, and then another, trying to evade whoever was chasing her. She scratched her knee as she did so. Her chest heaved with the effort of running with the blood pumping furiously through her and the curious urge to close her eyes. Her head kept tilting downwards, but the adrenalin rush of being chased kept her in her delirious state.

Finally, she could run no more. Against the will of her protesting mind, she landed on her knees. Unwilling to give up just yet, she began crawling. She tried to focus on the building ahead of her as she fought against her drooping eyelids.

Someone appeared in the corner of her vision as she gave in to the drug and her world went dark.

*

The first thing Ellie felt when she came back to consciousness was the soreness emanating from her leg. It took her a moment to recollect everything. She didn’t remember the pain of the dart, but she could still recall the onslaught of drowsiness before she was knocked out. The red light dimly illuminating the room was just enough for her to notice its bareness.

“Hey, you’re up. I was starting to think you were gone.”

Ellie looked across the room, startled. A man sat in the corner. He was dressed in a thick maroon jacket and jeans. He had a scraggly beard that looked a few days old. 

She patted her sheath for her knife and found it gone. She reached for her hidden blade. To her surprise, it hadn’t been taken away, just like Tommy had predicted.

“They took every weapon you had,” he told her, shrugging.

“Not this one,” Ellie said, revealing it.

The man instantly shot to his feet. “That’s our way out!” He began walking towards her.

She pointed it at him, stopping him in his tracks. “Don’t come any closer. Who are you?” 

He raised his hands. “I’m Joseph. What’s your name?” 

Ellie ignored his question. “What is this place?”

“I think it’s a cold storage room.” He pointed at the large freezer unit attached to the roof.

“Why am I here?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t do anything to you. I was in the town when someone shot me with something and I passed out. Next thing I know, I wake up in here. One of them brought you here some time ago.”

She glanced at the door. It seemed to be made of thick steel. There was a small window in the middle that was covered from the other side.

Keeping her knife trained on Joseph, she moved towards the handle and pressed down on it. 

Nothing happened.

“I’ve already tried that,” Joseph said. “There isn’t any way out, but we can use your knife.”

“Who did this? Raiders?”

He shook his head. “It’s someone else. Listen, that’s not important. We can work together and get out of here. All we need to do, is wait for one of them to come in here, and we can take them out with the knife.”

“Why should I believe that?” Ellie asked.

“Because I have no reason to harm you. I’m trapped in this room too. I need something from this town and I could really use your help right now.” He sounded desperate.

She eyed him carefully. 

“Look, I know you wouldn’t trust anyone new, even I wouldn’t, but please. You don’t know these people. They’re insane and if we don’t work together, we’re both going to end up dead. I have a daughter back home who really needs me. If I don’t get what I came for…” He took a deep breath. “Just please.”

Ellie stared at him for a long second. Then she nodded, lowering the knife, but keeping it clutched in her hand. “Did you see another girl here?” she asked, describing Dina.

Joseph shook his head. “I’ve been in here for hours. I thought they had come for me, until one of them brought you into the room.”

“Fuck… Who are these people?” 

“They call themselves the Descendants. They’ve been here ever since they got rid of all the FEDRA soldiers.”

“Descendants?” She had never heard of them.

“They’re a bunch of religious whackos. They believe the infection is the work of the Devil, so they kidnap people that get close to the town and get them infected as part of some ritual. Kind of like a sacrifice. I think they believe that it’ll keep the Devil from walking the Earth or something.”

“How do you know that?” she asked suspiciously. Her fingers tightened around the blade’s handle.

“My brother used to be a soldier here. It was a long time ago. The Descendants attacked the town and took whoever wasn’t dead as hostages. Every day, they took a few of the soldiers from the cages to let them get bitten. He escaped with a few others before they got him too.”

“What was FEDRA doing here?”

He seemed reluctant to answer at first, but he did, nevertheless. “They had set up a research facility here that studied the infection. They used to bring in people from all over to experiment on them and see if they could figure out to how to control it. It was far away from everything, so it ensured that whatever they did remained a secret.”

“Like the one the Fireflies had in Salt Lake City?” Ellie asked. She instantly realised her mistake.

“Did you know somebody in the Fireflies?” he asked. 

“My… dad,” she hastily answered. 

He nodded. “Most of the subjects were people they captured. Fireflies, smugglers, Hunters, you name it. A lot of people that went missing from the quarantine zones ended up here.”

“How long has this been going on?”

“It started just before the outbreak. They converted the town’s hospital into their facility and did all their research there. About ten years ago, a large group of the subjects escaped and killed most of the soldiers. That’s when they started referring to themselves as the Descendants. Maybe whatever they saw in there drove them crazy.”

“So, why are you here then?”

He sighed deeply. “My daughter’s sick and we don’t have the right meds. My brother told me a while ago there was a large stash here in one of the labs. If it’s still there, then Nancy has a chance. I just have to get to it. If you help me find the meds, I’ll help you find your friend.”

“Where’s your brother then?”

“He died some time ago. There was a rival group that ambushed us close to our camp.”

“I’m sorry,” Ellie replied sympathetically. “How old is she?”

“Nancy? Fifteen. Too young to die.” He paused. “I’ve answered all your questions honestly. Do you trust me now?”

Before Ellie could reply, there was a loud clunking sound at the door. It groaned as it swung outwards, revealing two men clad in dark blue attire. One of them had a short white beard and carried a lantern in his hand. The age showed on his face. The other looked much younger and wielded a shotgun.

“Put your backs against the wall,” the younger man commanded, waving it at Ellie and Joseph as the older man entered the room. He walked with leisure, as if time was all he had, and he, was all everyone had.

Ellie decided to play along for now and wait for the right opportunity. She pressed herself against the cold wall, hiding her knife behind her back. 

“These are the two I told you about.”

“Told you about, what?” the older man sternly asked.

“Father Samuel. I’m sorry.”

“When will you learn respect, Tom?”

“I’m sorry,” Tom repeated, downcast. 

“No matter, I shouldn’t be too harsh on you tonight. It is your first night of Ascension and you have done well,” Father Samuel said, instantly receiving an elated smile from Tom in response. “The Devil has been given his first sacrifice. Three in a night is indeed a blessing. For your reward, I’ll let you choose the next. Which one of these two do you want to offer?”

“Her,” Tom said, pointing at Ellie as he ogled her. 

“Two girls in a row? Why not?” Father Samuel said. 

“What did you to Dina?” Ellie asked, filled with dread at the two men’s words. Her hand rolled the handle of the blade unconsciously.

Father Samuel strolled over to her. “Since you have never been here, I will forgive your heresy. Your friend has been granted eternal life in the arms of God. She is the part of the wheel that ensures that the Apocalypse never dawns on us.”

“What did you do?” she repeated.

He leaned closer to her. “I made sure the whore paid for her sins, just like you will,” he whispered with an unnerving smile.

Father Samuel suddenly gasped, dropping the lantern onto the floor. He stumbled a few steps backwards. His face was filled with shock.

“You fucking bitch,” he spat before he began coughing up blood. His hands were clutched over his chest, where Ellie’s knife had been just a couple of seconds before. The blood slipped through the cracks in his fingers, forming a steady stream that tainted his clothing. Everyone in the room stared at him as fell onto his back, wheezing, before his eyes settled on the ceiling and never shifted again.

“Father…” Tom whispered, aghast. He was frozen.

Ellie strode to him, the knife in her hand making little puddles of blood on her path. He stood there, mouth open, as he stared at the corpse in the middle of the room. He didn’t seem to notice he was holding a shotgun in his hand, until Ellie plucked it from him and pointed it at his chest.

“Where is Dina?” she asked with deathly calm.

“At the Altar,” he stuttered.

“Where’s that?” She shoved the barrel harder into his flesh.

“The Hospital.”

“The Research Facility?” Joseph asked. “That’s the only hospital in the town according to what Jonah told me.”

“Is that the place?” Ellie asked Tom.

He nodded in response. 

“Good.” Her finger almost pressed the trigger when Joseph stopped her.

“Hey! There’s no need to kill him. We can just leave him here. He’s told us everything already.”

Ellie eyed Tom for a second. Every fibre of her being screamed at her to fire the weapon and watch the life leave his body, to watch as he begged for mercy, to watch as the pain consumed him. She stood there for a long second, before blindsiding him with the back of the shotgun. He collapsed in a heap.

“Let’s go.”


	11. Ascension, Part II

Ellie stood in the dining area of the diner. Their imprisonment room had been in the back. Years of neglect had rendered the place completely decrepit. The counter was now just rotting wood and broken glass, and the couches were full of mold. The windows were colored a dirty opaque brown. Shattered plates and glasses were strewn over the floor. There were no lights inside, which worked to their advantage. After searching for a few minutes, they found their belongings piled underneath a table.

“I still don’t know your name,” Joseph said as they picked up their bags. 

Ellie hesitated. “Ellie,” she finally said. As she put on her bag and slung the rifle around her, she noticed Dina’s bag at the back. They would have to come back for it, but she could at least move it to a more accessible location for now. “Do you know where the hospital is?”

“It’s the largest building in the town. I think I saw it when I came here but, I don’t know where we are right now. If we can get up onto the roof, it’d make it easier to find.”

“There should be a ladder around the back.”

They made their way through the backdoor that opened up into a dark alleyway. The rusted ladder stood attached to the brick wall. It looked as though one step on it was all it would take to dislodge it from the building.

Ellie made sure there were no more of the Descendants’ members around them before she lugged Dina’s bag out with her. The door to the cold storage room was locked and the key sat in her pocket, which would buy them enough time in case someone decided to investigate. 

“I think that’s the one,” Joseph said when they climbed onto the roof.

Ellie had to strain her eyes to see which building he was talking about. It was far away from where they were, with the streets leading there completely dark. The hospital could have been a few storeys high, but it wasn’t as well-lit as the buildings they were near currently. The lights were flickering in some of the windows.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“I’d say yes.”

“Did you know about this Ascension thing they were talking about?” she asked as the two headed towards their destination. They stayed off the streets this time, taking cover of the houses along their way.

“I’ve never heard of it. To be honest, I don’t remember much of what Jonah had told me. It was a while ago, and it just came up in my mind again when Nancy got sick.”

“Yeah…” 

“I’ve never seen a religious cult like this before,” Joseph said. “I guess the outbreak really drove some people insane. So, where are you from?”

“Uh… Boston.”

“Really? It’s pretty far away from there.”

Ellie nodded. “One thing led to another, and now I’m here.”

“I get that. I used to be with a group, but that fell apart. Now we live in hiding, hoping that one day we’ll get back what was ours.”

Ellie simply nodded again. The pit in her stomach refused to go away.

“Your friend’s gonna be just fine, alright?” he told her reassuringly.

“I hope so. You don’t seem like the other….”

“Survivors?” he finished her question. “I’ve been told that a few times.”

“You said you had a daughter, so, what happened to her mother?” Ellie asked.

“She died while giving birth to Nancy.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I guess it was meant to happen. I miss her sometimes, but Nancy’s my reason to get up every day.”

“Seems like you really love her.”

“I do,” Joseph replied, nodding his head. “I’d do anything for her.”

“Can I ask you something?” Ellie asked.

“Yeah, for sure.”

“Why do you trust me? I’ve barely known you for an hour, and you’re telling me things about your life.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I think you the way you behave reminds me of Nancy. Young and fierce. She’s like the life of the group, y’know? I can’t wait to get back home and see her.”

Ellie nodded once again. 

“So, where you two headed?” he asked.

“Um… someone we know is missing, so we’re looking for him,” Ellie replied.

“Well, I hope you find him.”

The hospital loomed in the distance. It was an old structure built in the 1900s. It sprawled over the area, with a dilapidated garden in the front. All the windows were grilled shut. A large black FEDRA truck was parked in the front. Near the entrance sat two men with a fire lit in between them. 

Ellie deposited Dina’s bag in a nearby abandoned house for safekeeping, before returning to Joseph. “We should be able to take them on,” she noted as they approached from the side of the building. “I’ll take the one on the right, you take the other. The wind should cover our footsteps.”

“Okay,” Joseph replied. 

They leapt over the wall soundlessly, knives out. The two men were facing away from the duo, unaware that their lives were about to be cut short. They were engaged in a conversation.

“…are taking too long.”

“Give them time. We still have the whole night.”

“That girl isn’t gonna survive five minutes in there.”

One of them guffawed. “You remember the one with the red jacket? He fucking screamed for hours.”

“There was that one with the yellow… hey wh-” The man’s sentence was cut short as Ellie grabbed him from the back and slit his throat. He tried to cover the smiling cut, choking on his own blood, before he fell face-first into the snow with a thump.

Joseph’s victim, too, lay dead in a growing pool of blood. He moved towards the entrance and tried the handles. “It’s locked,” he told Ellie, pulling at them.

She cursed. Her best bet now was the two dead men. She proceeded to search their pockets. She found a pistol and a key on one of them. Trying it on the door, she instantly unlocked it as a damp smell invaded her nostrils.

The lobby looked destroyed, to say the least. The front desk was thrown unceremoniously into a corner, along with a computer. Two decomposed FEDRA soldiers lay by the door, a rusted scanner for infections by their side. It was completely dark, save for the flickering light emanating from the corridor. There were several bullet holes in the walls.

Ellie looked at both the sides. The lights in nearly all the bulbs had gone out, making the corridor randomly lighted at various intervals. “You know where the lab is?” she asked Joseph.

“No. But if you find it, the meds should be in a safe or something.”

“It’ll be wiser if we both look in different areas. If you find Dina let me know.”

“Likewise, with the meds,” he replied before heading off down one side.

Ellie looked down the other. Empty beds were pushed up against the walls. The sheets were stained, but there was no one in sight. The cracked signboard told her where the different departments were located about the hospital, not that it helped her much though. 

The building was eerily quiet, save for the glass crunching under her boots. Ellie expected it to be filled with the infected, but all she found was decaying skeletons clothed in varying clothes. The stench was unbearable, causing her to cover her nose with the back of her hand. Some of them looked like they had died only recently, while others looked to be years old.

The floor was covered with dust. There were fresh markings on it in the direction she was heading, which were most likely footsteps. She bent down next to a body clad in a white coat. The ID card laying nearby identified the nearly decomposed body as Maggie Waters. It had a small barcode at the top, above which ‘Lab 06’ was written. 

Putting down the card, she continued to walk past the numerous doors that once held the names of the doctors-on-call. The covered windows barely allowed any light in, making her switch on her flashlight.

She came to a large sitting area. The stairs led upwards. Two elevators, that had probably malfunctioned years ago, were to one side. The doors looked damaged. Dead plants adorned the room. 

Ellie followed the footprints up the stairs, keeping her newfound pistol in her hand. The lack of any sounds was getting to her. She had never liked the quiet in new places. It only told her that there were things to be discovered that could be waiting for her. 

She shuddered uncontrollably. It smelled like nothing she had ever encountered before. Something was terribly off, but she couldn’t point it out. 

“Dina?” she called out as she stepped onto the landing, but like she had expected, there was no response. Down one side, she could see the airborne spores and the formations on the walls.

The fear was starting to take root in her mind now. Her breath misted as she continued on the other way. She hadn’t realised how cold it was inside. Her footsteps seemed to echo much too loud.

The footprints were missing now, as if there had been far too many people walking over it. A faint blackish line travelled both sides. It appeared as if it had been dripping from something.

A loud screech, that was silenced at once, alarmed her. It seemed to be coming from further along the hallway. 

Ellie cautiously moved towards it, keeping her finger on the trigger. She would have normally used her knife, but she had no idea what to expect in there. 

A solitary figure stood in the middle of the corridor under the light. A few infected lay dead close by. She held a reddish sharp object in her hand that appeared to be leaking a liquid. As Ellie looked closer, she realised it was a shard of glass that had blood running down.

“Dina?” 

Dina spun around. There were splotches of blood over her clothes. She looked lost before her eyes found Ellie. She dropped the glass as Ellie threw her arms around her.

“Fuck, I thought I lost you,” Ellie whispered. She hugged her tightly. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know…” Dina pushed her head deeper into Ellie’s neck. “It’s really you?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Ellie. It’s alright. I’m here now.” She rubbed her hand over Dina’s back, soothing her. Her bruise was paining again, but she ignored it. “We’ll get out of here.” They stood there for what seemed like hours, not saying a word as they took in each other. “Jesus, you’re bleeding quite a lot. Show me your hand.” 

Dina held it out. She looked more like herself now.

“Fuck, that’s a pretty deep cut,” Ellie said. “I’ll tie it up for you right now, okay?” She rummaged around her bag for one of her t-shirts and tore a strip from it. “Are you… bitten?” 

Dina shook her head. 

“Okay, good.” She wrapped it around the wound. “Come on, the exit’s that way.”

“Someone locked me in here, Ellie. With all these fucking infected.”

“I know. You’re strong, okay? Nothing’s happened to you. If anyone else tries to harm us, I’ll fucking kill them.”

Dina nodded.

Ellie reached for her hand, clasping it firmly. “I have the key to the entrance. We might find Joseph too on the way.”

“Joseph?”

“Right… I met him-”

A loud crash stopped her. From the other end of the dark corridor, she heard sounds. Multiple. Echoing through the hallway. It was unmistakable. 

More than one thing was running towards them. 

“Ellie, there’s more of them,” Dina said, breathing heavily. 

“This way!” The two bolted away from the infected. 

Ellie’s leg hurt, but she didn’t stop. If they did, it was over. They turned the corridor and found themselves face to face with a set of doors.

“Fuck! It’s a dead end!” Ellie took a look back and shined her light, seeing the creatures gaining on them. “Get in! We’ll barricade ourselves for now.”

They pushed the doors close behind them just as the infected reached where they were standing. Ellie turned the lock, but with the way it was being hammered on, it wouldn’t hold for too long. 

“Ellie! Help me push this!” Dina pointed at a nearby shelf.

The two of them ran to the other side and threw their weight against the large metal object. With a few pushes, it dislodged itself from the floor, crashing onto its side in front of the door, sending files and papers flying out all over. 

Ellie handed the pistol to Dina before holding her rifle up. They stood there, ready for a gunfight, as the door shook with the creatures’ thrusts. It created a ruckus, but the obstruction seemed to be holding up. The sounds became few, and soon, the door became still.

Leaning on her rifle, Ellie exhaled a sigh of relief. “How did you end up here?” she asked.

Dina set herself down on the floor. She buried her face in her hands. “I don’t remember clearly, but, when I woke up, I was in the lobby. I tried the main entrance, and it was locked. So, I looked around until I found some of the infected. The more I killed, the more they seemed to be. And I don’t really remember anything else until I saw you. It just feels like a blur.”

Ellie sat next to her. She told Dina everything that Joseph had told her about FEDRA, their research facility, the Descendants, and everything that had happened with her after they were separated. The more she talked about it, the more she realised what a close call they’d both had.

“I don’t know how we keep ending up in situations like these,” Dina said with a sigh.

“Beats me.” She looked around. “I think it’s going to be a while before we can get out of here. There doesn’t seem to be any other way out. Might as well make ourselves comfortable.”

“This looks like where they kept all their files.” Dina picked up a random one from the dozens of metal shelves. “I think it’s a record of people who were sent here,” she told Ellie. “There are some photos too.”

Ellie explored the room full of shelves and computers, before settling on a section of files. They simply contained personal information and a stamp of the experiment the subjects were delegated to. None of them seemed to be holding any information valuable to her however. “They were running quite a few experiments,” she noted. “I keep seeing Phoenix a lot.”

“Yeah, I was thinking the same. I wonder what it is.”

The two of them read the papers in silence. There seemed to be a lot of murky ideas that FEDRA had engaged themselves in. It ranged from forcefully infecting subjects, to harming the newly transformed infected to study the consequent reading. Subjects were even exposed to extreme mental stress to gauge the manifestation time of the CBI. The two meandered about the room as they pored over the barbaric actions of the military government.

“Ellie,” Dina suddenly said.

“Yeah?” she asked.

“This looks like the Phoenix we keep reading about.” She handed Ellie a large dusty file and kept the other one to herself.

“There’s two of them?”

Dina nodded. “I think they were trying to create a vaccine or something by using a mutated version of the infection. Doesn’t seem like they managed it though.”

Ellie read the cover. The file was filled with reports of various test subjects. She read the first page. As before, it identified the individual. Stapled to the top right side was the blood report. She knew what WBC, RBC and Hb meant. The rest was all foreign to her. At the bottom, were scribbled notes.

_-Subject injected with Mutation 01 @1500h.  
-Cordyceps manifested in the brain @1530h. Blood taken @1545h. Shows aggravated signs of violence @1600h.  
-Transformation @1700h. Test failed. _

She turned the page to the next report.

_-Subject injected with Mutation 02 @0900h. Manifestation @1130h. Stable readings @1200h. Test looks promising._  
_-Blood taken @1400h. Noted difficulty in breathing. _  
_-Subject’s nervous system compromised @2000h. Dead @2030h. No transformation prior death. Test failed._ __

____

____

The next few pages seemed to vary slightly, but all of them had ‘test failed’ written at the bottom. Ellie finally threw the file to the floor with a sigh.

“I think the door’s clear,” she told Dina. “Let’s leave.”

“Give me a second.” Dina looked closer at the page that was open in front of her. “Ellie? Have a look at this.”

“Hm?” She scanned the report with her eyes, expecting to read the same line at the bottom that she had been for so long.

She went still as the two words shone out on the paper. 

_Test successful._

“Successful?” she asked incredulously.

Dina showed her the first page of the report with the photograph and name of the subject.

“He became immune?”

“You don’t see it?” Dina asked.

“See what?”

Dina plucked out the photograph from under the clip, holding it up for Ellie. “Ellie… you look exactly like this man. And your surnames match.”

“What…?” Ellie took the photo from her. She stared at it.

“And he was immune as well. Do you think this is… your dad?”


	12. Ascension, Part III

Joseph pushed open the door. To his surprise, it was unlocked. It was a large operating theatre converted into a laboratory. It was lined with rows of tables. Humongous devices sat on them, while there were some that had fallen onto the dusty floor as well. Puddles of blackish goo were sprinkled all over. The spores flew around the room freely. Grotesque fungal growths decorated the walls. It would be deadly to him had he not worn his gas mask.

He spotted a dead man with a white coat slumped on the chair, his fingers just above the pistol on the ground that had taken his life. Years must have passed, yet his body had not completely decomposed. It was a disturbing sight.

A one-way glass was built into the wall on one side. It looked into a chamber with a restraining chair and a table beside it. It held syringes and blades of all kinds.

Joseph had killed half a dozen infected on his way from the entrance to there. He had already hunted for the medicines in two labs that he had found, and a doubt was beginning to gnaw at him now, that this whole exercise was going to yield nothing. He had made this entire trip on the basis of a conversation he had had with Jonah a few years ago. Just this one time, Joseph hoped that his brother was right.

He walked around the room, flashing his light as he looked for any place where any valuables could be stashed. He had no idea where he was supposed to be searching. All he knew was that the finding of it could mean the survival of Nancy. And that was all the motivation he needed.

He eyed the equipment around him, though he didn’t know how any of it worked. It definitely looked like FEDRA had taken their time setting up all of it and making sure the place had everything it could need. It reminded him of his wife, Andrea, and the way she used to describe the machines she worked with at the hospital before the infection.

Joseph had just become an architect before the outbreak. That’s when he had met her, the survivor that had turned up at their group’s camp with a gunshot wound to her stomach. It had taken them days, but she’d made it through. This very injury, however, would one day take her life.

Joseph and Andrea soon began spending their time together, and not before long, they got married. It was years later that she became pregnant. That was when all the problems started. Her health deteriorated and nothing seemed to help. She died just before Nancy was born, forcing the group to cut the baby out.

To forget about his loss, Joseph had thrown himself into his daughter’s upbringing. He did everything for her. He made sure that she never felt the absence of Andrea. More than about Nancy, it had become a way for Joseph to cope with his troubled mind.

And now that she was sick, he was in a turmoil. Medicines were already in short supply with the condition they were in, and none of what they had seemed to be working on her. The FEDRA facility was his last resort. He forbade himself to think of what would happen if nothing worked.

Completing his sweep around the room, Joseph kicked the device lying at his feet in frustration, sending it sliding to the wall with a crash. He had found absolutely nothing. As he was turning around, he spied the door handle sticking out next to the large shelf. He hadn’t noticed it before.

Moving the shelf aside with a screech, he tried the handle, but it refused to turn. His eyes settled on the lone dead figure in the room. He patted down the body, feeling for the familiar bump of a key.

And there it was, bundled safely in the inner side of the coat.

He unlocked the door. It hadn’t been touched in years, causing the hinges to become rusted and squeak. He pointed the flashlight inside. It was a small room that connected to the chamber on the other side of the one-way glass. A computer sat on the table, with piles of hard disks next to it. 

He moved aside everything on the table, pulling away the cobwebs that had formed over the years. Insects scurried away from the sight, seeking refuge from him.

The drawers opened easily, showcasing papers and a few pens, but there was nothing of what he needed.

He tried the desk cupboard, but it was locked and he hadn’t seen a key for it either. His patience was now running thin. Throwing caution to the wind, he placed his heel against where the lock would have been, and in one swift motion, brought his boot down on it.

There was a loud crack as the wood around the lock began breaking apart. Seeing that it was working, he kicked it a few more times, until he finally dislodged the lock and the cupboard revealed its contents.

There, at the back of all the rubbish sat a dusty plastic pouch. He reached in for it. Inside were small bottles and various strips of pills. Pouring them out onto the table, he went through them one by one. Amir, had told him the names of drugs he should be on the lookout for. He took a deep breath and laughed with relief as he read them, thanking every star out there.

Just as was stepping outside the connecting room, a noise caught his attention. He stood still, listening closely. It was getting louder, as if moving towards the lab in the corridor. Whatever it was, Joseph was certain he didn’t want to pick a fight with it.

He jumped back into the room, using the wall as a cover just as he heard the noise coming from the open door of the lab. There was something inhumane about the way it sounded, and it chilled him to his bones. He prayed that it would go away.

It continued incessantly for a minute, before it gradually faded way.

Joseph swallowed, and peeked out.

The room was empty.

*

“My dad?” Ellie asked with disbelief. “Wh-what does that even mean?”

“Look!” Dina handed the file to her.

She read the page again, this time slower than before. Dina was right. The man bore the same surname as her. Ellie was born in 2019, while he was born in 1990. She couldn’t deny that there were striking similarities between the two of them, now that Dina was pointing them out. She ran her eyes over the notes on the bottom half of the page.

- _Subject injected with Mutation 09 @1300h. Manifestation @1330h._

_-Erratic readings @1400h. Blood taken @1415h. High WBC count noted._

_-Lost consciousness multiple times between 1500h & 1800h. Extreme pain._

_-No signs of violence. Responds to questions._

_-No transformation through night. Referred to Block 5 for further investigation._

“Turn the page,” Dina told her.

The report continued there.

- _Subject observed for 7 days. No external changes. Injected with CBI @ 1200h._

_-No manifestation of CBI. Blood taken @1415h._

_-Satisfactory blood report. MRI @ 1800h. Mutation 09 still present._

_-No manifestation through night. Subject conscious. No signs of violence. Body unreactive to CBI. DNA swab @0900h. Noted gene mutation._

_-Concluded @1800h. Test successful._

_-Subject dispatched to Boston HQ as per orders._

Ellie looked at the attached blood report. All of the values seemed to fall within the prescribed ones mentioned by the side. There was nothing to suggest from it that the man had been infected, or even sick. The DNA report was stapled right behind the blood report, highlighting the sequential changes.

“So, my dad’s name is Frank?” she whispered.

“I think so. Look at when he was sent to Boston. 2018. Just before the time you were born. It all makes sense. He probably met your mom there, and that’s when they had you.”

“But then… where did he go?”

“I don’t know. But if my guess is right, it would explain how you’re immune!”

Ellie didn’t answer. She didn’t know what she could say. Her head was a hurricane of thoughts and questions, all jumbled up, that only confused her further. The more she stared at the paper, the more she couldn’t deny it. There was nobody else she had met who was immune. And with the similarities, it was far too compelling.

“Ellie?”

“I don’t even know if this man is alive.”

“We don’t know that,” Dina said. “For all we know, he’s out there somewhere.”

“So, what happened to him then? I never got to meet mom, and now that I probably know who my dad is, I don’t even know where he is, let alone if he’s still breathing. Why would he abandon us?”

“What if he didn’t? What if he somehow managed to escape at Boston and then before you were born, FEDRA found him again. Maybe he was forced to run.”

Ellie contemplated the scenario in her mind. As Dina answered her questions, a resentment was building up inside her. She didn’t know where it was coming from. Why was Dina so excited about this? Ellie grew up without a mom. So, why would it bother her now that she had a dad who was the root of all the problems in her life? Someone who was to blame for everything wrong with her. “I don’t want to talk about this right now,” she suddenly declared.

“Ellie, you always bottle it up. We should-”

“Fucking hell, I said I don’t want to!” She immediately went quiet. Rubbing her eyes, she sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I’m just stressed out.”

“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have pushed. We’ll talk about it whenever you-”

“Stop talking.”

Dina was taken aback at her words. “What…? I was just-”

Ellie immediately shushed her. “Listen. Do you hear that?”

Now that they were engulfed in silence, the sound was much clearer, albeit still faint. It sounded like something was groaning from somewhere outside the room, but it wasn’t human. Neither did it sound like the clicks of the infected. It was more jarring, like a gut-wrenching scream of helplessness.

It echoed off the walls, moving closer to the room. It sent shivers down Ellie’s spine.

She got off the floor, holding her rifle at the ready once again. Dina followed her example. The door was the only way in and out of the room, so whatever was out there would be blocking their only escape.

They waited.

It was definitely heading their way. Second by second, it seemed to be inching closer. Ellie would have barricaded the door with another shelf, but she didn’t want to alert anyone that they were in there. It wasn’t a great idea to corner themselves and then to announce to everyone their location.

Ellie glanced briefly at Dina, catching her eye. The girl looked as worried as her.

Finally, the sound seemed to be coming from right outside the locked door.

The two didn’t move from their places, waiting for something to happen. For an instant, nothing did. Then with a loud crash, the door shook, moving the toppled shelf along with it. The groan came again, this time more aggressive, before something hammered into the metal.

“What the fuck is out there?” Dina whispered. “A bloater?”

“They don’t sound like that. And they’re not that strong.”

“The door’s not going to hold.”

“It’s not,” Ellie replied, her throat dry. “We need to hide. Now!”

They ran to the back of the room. The windows had been grilled shut so that was no option. They hid behind one of the numerous shelves.

The door continued to be battered, until at last, it flew open. The metal shelf fell face first with a thunderous clang. The groaning creature must have entered the room, since Ellie could hear it much closer now.

She stole a quick glance from the side, but couldn’t spot anything. Then she realised what the overpowering smell was. It wasn’t just the rotting corpses, the creature itself smelled like death. It was even stronger now, causing her to gag. She spotted the spores floating near the entrance. There definitely weren’t any when they were in the front. The creature had to be some sort of infected.

She scoured her bag and pulled out her gas mask, holding it out to Dina.

“Wear it,” she whispered.

Dina nodded, knowing better than to argue.

Ellie looked out again. Just like before, there was nothing. The infected was nowhere to be seen. It had stopped making any noise and seemed to have gone still.

“Do you see anything?” Dina asked her.

“No. You?”

“Nothing.”

Ellie exhaled. “Here’s what we’ll do. Move towards the door when I say so,” she told Dina. “Don’t get close to whatever it is. After that, keep running until you reach the main entrance.” She waited for a few seconds, checking to see if could spot the creature. “Now.”

They edged towards the bent metal doors, taking care to keep themselves concealed. The overwhelming smell was still present. The infected had to be in the room somewhere.

As they were next to the door, Ellie suddenly felt her heartbeat skip.

The file.

She’d completely forgotten about it. There was no way she was leaving without that.

She signaled to Dina to continue past her as she sighted it. It lay exactly where she had left it when they had gotten up in a hurry. She could reach it in a few short steps and be back without endangering herself.

Doing exactly that, she covered the distance and just as she picked up the file, she saw what was in the room with them.

The creature was nearly twice her height. It looked like a bloater at first, but it definitely wasn’t one. It had a bulbous disfigured head that still bore a resemblance to a human. Something had grown above the skull, as if for protection of the infested brain. Fungal pouches clothed its body like boils, each the size of Ellie’s arm. The number of spores they released was unreal. Blackish veins ran across its body, leaking a fluid that would leave a trail wherever it went.

They had completely missed it in the dark corner. It took a step towards Ellie, emitting a high-pitched scream.

Ellie froze. She had never heard such a sound before, and in such close proximity, it had an astounding effect on her. Her mind seemed to have been jammed, functioning of its own accord. It was as if she could no longer think of anything other than to stare at the monstrosity in front of her.

Something yanked her backwards just as the creature swung its arm. If she had still been standing there, it would have turned her insides to a mushy pulp and shattered each and every bone in her body.

It was Dina who had pulled her away from the death blow. Ellie snapped out of her trance. In unison, the two girls sprinted out of the room, the file clutched in Ellie’s hand.

The commotion must have rung out loud through the empty corridors of the hospital, as it slowly began drawing out the infected from their places. There were more than a dozen that Ellie and Dina would have to pass through to get out of there.

“Shoot what you can!” Ellie loaded her rifle and fired at the charging clicker. Its head burst open as it crashed into the floor.

She hit the infected that were too close with the barrel of her rifle.

“To your right!”

Ellie was finding it very difficult to shoot the moving targets. The lack of light didn’t help at all. They were going to be fungal food if they didn’t escape quickly.

“I don’t have a more than a few rounds left!” Dina was using her ammunition conservatively now.

“Make a run for it!” Ellie ducked under the outstretched arm of a runner, and narrowly avoided crashing into another. “This way!”

She kicked a clicker and whacked her rifle in another runner’s face, breaking its jaw. They managed to get past the group largely unscathed as the stairs appeared.

“Ellie!”

Ellie looked behind her, panting. One of the runners had caught Dina’s foot, causing her to fall. Ellie killed the one hanging onto Dina’s leg before turning her rifle at the ones that were getting close to them. “Get up!” She held out her hand to Dina and pulled her up.

Dina nearly collapsed as she took the first step. “Fuck! I can’t walk!”

They didn’t have time to figure out what was wrong. “Here! Lean on me.” Ellie took the pistol from Dina, firing it behind her as she helped her friend hobble towards the stairs.

The high-pitched scream came again.

“It’s fucking coming for us!” Ellie was feeling the panic rise inside her.

They were moving far too slowly for them to make it out alive. The creature, however slow or fast it was, would definitely be on them.

Ellie glanced back again and saw the big hulking thing charging towards them. It was far too agile for its size. A few more seconds and they would be dead.

Suddenly, a bright orange light filled the hallway. Ellie saw the creature burst into flames, roaring in agony. It twisted its body, blindly swatting with its arms at the infected close to it. From the side, something came running at them.

“Go!” Joseph yelled as he caught up with them. “It won’t hold it for too long!” He saw Ellie supporting Dina. “What happened to her?”

“They almost got her,” Ellie answered. “I think she’s twisted her ankle.”

“I’ll take her weight.” He switched places with Ellie, putting his arm around Dina. “You watch for them.”

Ellie fired at a clicker as the three descended the stairs. She could still hear the terrifying screams of the monster, but they weren’t as close as before. Whatever Joseph had done had bought them enough time.

“There’s the entrance!” Joseph sounded relieved.

The pistol clicked in Ellie’s hand as the last runner rushed her. She dropped it and fired the rifle just as the infected was on her. It went still instantly.

They made it out of the hospital. It was still night. Joseph sat Dina by the side as Ellie made sure that there were no more infected to deal with before she closed the door, locking it.

“I got the-” Joseph suddenly gasped.

Ellie looked at him, confused, before she noticed the bolt sticking out of his reddening chest. He staggered a few steps and collapsed.

“Ellie, over there!” Dina pointed out the mystery shooter.

Near the FEDRA truck stood Tom, loading the next bolt into his crossbow. He was fumbling with the string, trying to draw it back.

Without wasting a second, Ellie ran towards him. Before he could get any further, her rifle bore a hole into his neck.

But the damage was done.

Joseph’s eyes were barely focusing. He was staring up into the sky. A thin line of blood ran from his mouth to his ear. The bolt lodged in his chest shook with his shuddering.

“Joseph! You’re going to be okay,” Ellie tried reassuring him. She couldn’t pull out the bolt. It would kill him for certain. She placed her hands around it, instead, trying to apply pressure.

“My bag…” he whispered. “Get the bag to Amir.”

“Amir?”

“Salt Lake City.” He coughed.

“No, no, Joseph, listen to my voice. Joseph? Joseph?”

But he was gone.

Ellie sat there on her knees in shock. The cold wind blew past her, but she didn’t notice it. Her eyes were focused on the man who had saved their lives. She closed his eyes. “They’ll be coming for us,” she told Dina softly. “We should leave.”


	13. Salt Lake City

It was night, and Ellie was awake once again. She had managed to get some shut-eye for a couple of hours, but a particularly dreadful dream had woken her up. After that, it was a lost cause to even try.

The past few days had been harrowing, and it was a mystery to Ellie how they had survived. After Joseph’s death, they had left with the medicines much before the sun was up. Chucky was gone too, and Ellie would be painfully reminded of that every few hours. They’d been forced to continue towards Salt Lake City on foot, and that hadn’t been easy with Dina’s leg. It had started swelling up after the first night of travel, but they couldn’t afford to take a stop, lest they were found by the Descendants.

The bitter cold and the infected gave them no respite. Dina could, at best, fire her pistol, but she couldn’t walk without using Ellie as a crutch. That had slowed them down tremendously. They had barely made it to a distance that could be called safe.

On the verge of exhaustion, they had taken shelter as the first rays of the morning arrived. Both girls were asleep before they hit the floor. By afternoon, they had set out again. Covering the distance on foot was incomparable to being on a horse. But that hadn’t deterred them. In fact, they were filled with a resolve to protect each other and keep moving.

Salt Lake City had appeared on the horizon when they were planning to stop for the day, flooding them with relief. It wasn’t far off now, and less than a day’s journey would get them there. Joel was very close, and Ellie would have marched through the night as well, if not for Dina needing rest to recover. She needed some herself, too.

Now, unable to sleep, Ellie turned on her side to face Dina. The black-haired girl was fast asleep. Ellie felt a responsibility towards her, especially since she had put her life on the line to be here for Ellie. She noticed the lock of hair over Dina’s face and unconsciously raised her hand to tuck it behind her ear. She kissed her cheek before sitting up. She was feeling hungry. Going to bed on an empty stomach was a bad idea, but she couldn’t help it.

She looked about the room. Their refuge for the night had been a small farm house by the side of the highway. The fencing around it still stood, largely. Most of the house was dusty and full of mould, yet the bedroom on the top was fairly usable. Not that Ellie and Dina were going to complain. At that point, they would have slept in any place where they were out of the snow.

Ellie walked over to her bag and pulled out a can. There were only a couple more left and there was no other alternative available to them. They would have to find something once they were in Salt Lake City.

“Ellie? What are you doing?” Dina’s voice sounded behind her.

“Shit, did I wake you up?” Ellie asked apologetically.

“No, it’s alright. What time is it?”

“Uh… it’s five thirty. You should go back to sleep.” She returned to her place beside Dina with the food in one hand and a spoon in the other.

“It’s nearly morning anyway. Now’s a good time as any to wake up. Why are you up?” Dina asked, yawning as she propped herself up on her elbow.

“Couldn’t sleep. And I was hungry, I guess.”

“Well, at least you’re eating. I got worried when you didn’t want anything last night.”

“At this rate, you’re going to look after me all your life,” Ellie said, using her knife to open the can.

“Crap.” Dina feigned exasperation. “I’m sorry Ellie, this isn’t going to work out between us.”

“Shut up,” Ellie said, chuckling as she made Dina smile. “How do you feel?”

“I think I can walk by myself. I’ll need to, if we run into more trouble at Salt Lake City. How about you?”

“The bruise still hurts. But that’s not a problem.”

“You’ll be fine before you know it,” Dina said. “What’s on your mind?”

Ellie didn’t answer, running her hand absent-mindedly over the file they had found at the hospital.

“Were you reading that again?”

“Yeah,” she replied. “I just wish there was a way that I could know if it was true.”

“I know you do. But torturing yourself over it isn’t going to help.” Dina reached for Ellie’s hand, squeezing it gently.

“Maybe. It’d just make it so much easier if I did know though. Mom never mentioned him in her letter, and Marlene never said anything about him either. She was close to mom, so she might have known. But she never gave me an answer. And I don’t know why she wouldn’t. Did FEDRA kill him? If he’s alive, did he ever try looking for me? Does he know about mom? Does he-”

“Ellie, breathe,” Dina interrupted her. “You’re getting worked up. Look, there’s no telling of what happened, or what could happen. But the fact that you might at least know who he is, that’s gotta count for something, right?”

“Yeah, that’s true.” She hesitated. “Hey, you mind if I ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“What is it?”

“Do you ever miss your mom? Like, do you ever think about her and just wish that you’d gotten more time to spend together?”

“I do miss her sometimes,” Dina answered. “And sometimes I wish that she was around for longer, but she did it to protect me. And I feel that’s what being a parent is all about. I like to think she’s watching me from wherever she is. Who knows, maybe she likes you too.” She flashed Ellie a smile.

Ellie chuckled again.

“There’s something I have to talk to you about, too, ever since you told me about Joel and you,” Dina said. “I think when he saved you, he was just looking out for you. You know he thinks of you as a daughter, and no parent wants to watch something happen to their... child.”

“I know he does. But I can’t help but think if he did it because he was looking out for me, or because it reminded him of Sarah all over again.”

“Does it really matter? If it helps, I think it’s a bit of both. Sarah dying affected him a lot. And he grew really attached to you. Why else would he travel across the country for someone he didn’t know? I don’t think anyone would risk their life doing that. He nearly died on the way too. There was no way he would’ve let you die for something that might not even be true.”

“But what if it was true?”

“Okay, say it was. There’s something I gotta ask you first then.”

“What?”

“Deep down, do you really think you wanted to give up your life?”

Ellie stared back at her, caught off guard. “I… I mean I…”

“Ellie, you can be honest with me, right?”

She nodded slowly.

“Then tell me,” Dina continued. “Is that really what you wanted?”

“No… I didn’t want to die,” she confessed.

“Then it was the right call. Look, there’s a million things wrong with what the Fireflies were doing. I’ve thought about it, and it really doesn’t make sense to me about you getting caught up in that. I mean, don’t you see it too? Why were they trying to kill the only immune person they’ve ever met? Are they stupid? And what would they even do with their research? Eugene himself told us about them. They had barely any resources left. A vaccine that solved everything just seems unrealistic. And they didn’t even tell you, or Joel, that they’d have to take your life. They just decided to do it and nearly went through with it. That’s fucking murder. Normal people don’t do that. So, here’s what I say about them. Fuck their research, and fuck the Fireflies. Fuck all of them.” Dina hadn’t realized she was nearly yelling. Her face was flushed.

“Hey, are you alright?” Ellie asked, concerned. She had rarely seen Dina lose her composure like that.

“Sorry, I just got carried away,” she replied. “Ellie, look, I really care about you. We’ve been close for years now, and there’s no one else I’d rather be with. You make me really happy. And that’s why I don’t want to watch you tear yourself apart over something like this. When was the last time you slept without nightmares? It’s getting to you, and it feels like you’re losing yourself. Your immunity is not your fault, and you don’t owe it to anybody to be some kind of saviour. You have your life too, and it’s up to you how you want to live it. So, don’t think about anybody else for once. You have a say with what happens to you. You’d never have had this life at Jackson if you had just been killed there for no reason.”

Ellie was silent. Seconds passed, but she didn’t say anything. “You’re right,” she suddenly admitted. “Being at Jackson was the best time of my life. I wouldn’t have had that if Joel hadn’t gotten me out of there. It’s all confusing to me, Dina. Sometimes I’m fine, and other times I just feel guilty that I haven’t used my… gift properly. I don’t want to fuck up and end up alone. That scares me.”

“You’re not going to,” Dina said comfortingly. “I’m going to stick with you no matter what. So are Joel, Tommy and Maria. They know about this, but they’ve never treated you differently. And they never will. You’re never going to be alone, Ellie. We’re all your family.”

She nodded gratefully. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” She looked out of the window. “So, have you ever thought about living in a place like this?”

“You mean on a farm?”

“Yeah, on a farm. Ever since I read that one book, it’s been stuck in my head. Imagine how great it would be to have a house like this. Get up every morning, look after the animals, tend to the crops, and live your own life.”

“The way you make it sound is tempting,” Ellie said. “Just not in the snow.”

“Not in the snow,” Dina repeated. “We can always find a different place. I read that Colorado has really good weather.”

“Really? I don’t think I’ve ever been there,” Ellie said.

“Me neither. But we can go find out some day.”

“I wouldn’t mind that.” She putting down the empty can as she laid back down. “I miss Chucky.”

“Me too. You remember the first time he saw you? He really took a liking to you,” Dina reminisced.

“I remember. You should’ve seen Tommy’s face when I told him I was going to call him Chucky.” She sighed. “I don’t know what I’m going to tell Graham. I can already see his face in my mind.”

“Well, how about this? Once we get Joel back, we can go home and have a proper burial for Chucky.”

“I’d like that, yeah.”

Dina planted a kiss on Ellie’s lips, before she laid her head against her shoulder. And for that moment, everything felt right.

*

Abraham eyed the bound Joel across the table. “It can all end, Joel. All you have to do is admit that you regret what you did. It’s simple.”

Joel stared at the ground; his bleeding lips pursed. Abraham’s fist had landed heavily.

“You’re making this difficult for no reason,” he continued. “Say it, and I’ll kill you right here without any pain.”

“Fuck you,” Joel swore through grit teeth. Every part of his being was in pain. His back was painted with bruises and his face was bloodied. He wasn’t even sure he could stand up on his legs anymore.

“Come on, Joel. You know there’s no way out of here. You could try and escape, but where did that get you last time? You’re just wasting our time. Why do you want to suffer? You’ve endured this for days now. Say the words, and I’ll end your misery.”

He refused to say anything.

Abraham sighed. “I know you grew up in Texas. You still talk like them. What was it like at home? Before all of this happened. Did you get along with your parents? Did you have Sunday Church? You don’t seem like the religious kind though. I know Tommy wasn’t. Your brother was a good Firefly. Pity he’s going to die soon enough.”

“Don’t talk about any of them,” Joel whispered threateningly.

“Was Tommy there the day your daughter died?”

An uncontrollable hatred filled Joel as he flung himself forward, stopped only by his restraint. The metal cut into his skin, but he was past the pain. All he wanted to break free and strangle Abraham with his bare hands.

“There’s the Joel that I remember,” Abraham said, a grin spread across his face. “FEDRA killed your daughter, and you still think the Fireflies are the enemies? We don’t do such things. Half of America owes their freedom to our rebellion. And what did we get? A selfish bastard who broke our trust and murdered the one woman trying to make a difference. All for a puppy he thought he could replace his daughter with.”

Joel’s breathing had become heavier. He closed his eyes, willing himself to settle down. He couldn’t let his feelings get the better of him again.

“You’d have the military government up your ass if it wasn’t for us. But you wouldn’t mind that, would you? You were FEDRA’s lapdog for years. And I know what kind of errands people like you ran for them. I know what kind of a man you are too. Weak, pathetic and spineless. Did you ever do anything worthwhile in your life? Or did you just run to the master that gave you food? Don’t tell me you’re innocent. You’ve killed your share of people, so drop that act about doing the right thing. We both know you have no morality.”

“You don’t know a goddamned thing about me.”

“That’s what you think. And that’s what you’re wrong about. Actions don’t come without consequences, Joel,” Abraham said before he radioed the guard to take Joel back to his room.

*

“Does any of this get to you after a while?” Dina asked as the two walked amongst the abandoned vehicles on the highway, the evening nearing every minute. Salt Lake City lay just ahead of them.

“It does.”

“So many people trying to escape the outbreak. Almost makes me kind of glad that I was born after all of this happened.”

“Yeah, same,” Ellie said. “Although you don’t want to be living in a quarantine zone. Or be a part of the military school. It’s a fucking mess.”

“I know. I’m glad we’re at Jackson.”

“You really don’t want to be anywhere else.” Ellie looked around. “We still haven’t seen any of the Fireflies.”

Dina nodded. “They could be further inside the city.”

“I think so, too. We should be careful. Are you sure you can walk on your own?”

“I can.” She had a slight limp, but other than that, she was moving as fast as Ellie. “It’s much better than it was yesterday.”

“That’s good. Try not to put too much pressure on it.”

“Alright doctor.”

There was nobody else around. It was just like last time. Ellie could recall the conversation she had had with Joel as they entered the city. He told her that he would teach her to play the guitar. He had talked about how they would do things together after she was done with the Fireflies. She’d been distracted through that entire conversation, filled with worry at what lay ahead. Their journey had started with them as strangers, and ended with them settling into a better life at Jackson. It was hard to imagine the things they had been through.

It didn’t feel like it was four years ago. 

Never did she think she would be back there, and not for the reason she currently had. She had nearly set off many times to come back to the city and find the truth for herself. To see if she could really piece together what happened that day. But she never did. Something inside her told her that she didn’t want to hear the answer. And she had lived with that for as long as she could.

And now, Joel was in there somewhere and she had to find him.

“Ellie?”

Ellie was thrust out of her thoughts. “Sorry… I was just thinking of something.”

“You okay?” Dina asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she answered, shaking her head. “What were you saying?”

“I was talking about what Joseph said. Finding Amir. I don’t know how we’re going to do that.”

“Me neither. But we have to try, at least. Joseph saved us, so, we owe that to him. He’d still be alive if I’d just killed that fucking guy.”

Dina sighed. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know that was going to happen.”

“I didn’t,” Ellie agreed. “But he didn’t deserve to die that way. He told me I reminded him of his daughter. He was looking forward to seeing her again when he got to his camp.”

“Well, if we ever find them, we’re going to have to tell them.”

“Yeah...”

“I still can’t get over what we saw in that hospital,” Dina said. “What the fuck was that thing? It had to be some lab experiment.”

“It’s been in my head, too,” Ellie replied. “I don’t want to ever go back there again.”

“I can promise you that I’m not, for sure. After this, I’m not even going to leave Jackson for a while. No more scouts for me. I’m joining you in repairs.”

“Welcome to the boring life. Hey, look, we can get into the city through there.”

Salt Lake City was an abandoned quarantine zone. Most of the entrance points were either heavily barricaded, or were marked by gates. Sometimes, abandoned vehicles worked as barricades, with buses lined across the entry, forcing survivors to climb over. Buildings had fallen over with time that blocked the roads as well. There were highways that had collapsed that posed more problems.

“I still don’t see anybody,” Ellie noted as they walked down the deserted streets. “Not even the infected.”

“We’re too out in the open,” Dina said. “I don’t like this. We wouldn’t survive if we got ambushed right now.”

“Well, you got a better idea?”

“The sun’s going down, and it’ll be night soon. We can find a place right now and wait till it’s dark. We can use that to keep moving. If there are patrols, it’ll be easier to avoid them too.”

Ellie didn’t want to stop right now, but she knew that what Dina said made sense. It was only safer if they were harder to spot. And in the broad daylight, in the middle of the street, they were sitting ducks.

“Let’s do that,” she finally conceded.

They scoped out a nearby apartment building. Settling on one of the places on the upper floors, they sat down, massaging their legs. The window provided them with a view of the street, but there was nothing to see.

“I’m going to lie down for a while,” Ellie told Dina. “Wake me up in a bit, and I’ll take watch.”

She laid down on the couch. The tiredness of the previous days was catching up to her. She closed her eyes, though her mind was still running wild.

Soon, it would be dark.


	14. A Way In

“Ellie?”

Ellie awakened to the familiar shape of the figure hunched over her. Her eyelids felt heavy as she blinked. “Hey, what is it?”

“You told me to wake you up in a while, remember?” Dina said, sitting down on the edge of the couch.

Ellie stared at her with a blank face, before she realized where she was. “Oh, shit, yeah. Jesus, I don’t think I’ve ever slept like this before. Felt like I was drugged.” It was completely dark in the apartment, save for the faint orange light from the bedroom.

“Yeah, you did sleep well.”

Ellie looked at her watch as she sat up.

“You’ve been out for a bit,” Dina said. “We should get going.”

“Wait, why didn’t you wake me up sooner? I’ve been sleeping for hours now.”

“It’s alright. You really needed it, and you looked far too peaceful for me to disturb. I haven’t seen you sleep this sound for a long time. You didn’t even talk.”

Ellie simply nodded. She still felt too fatigued to talk, forget arguing. She yawned. “What were you doing?” she finally asked.

“Just rearranging my bag. Had enough time so it seemed like a good idea. I’ve realized that we’re running short on food.”

“I know. I had that thought last night. How much do you have left?”

“A day’s worth, at best,” Dina replied. “Maybe two, if I stretch it. What about you?”

“Same. Just a couple left. I don’t know what we’re going to find in the city, but it’s gotta be something.”

“We’ll figure it out. Here, I saw something that’ll help us. Come to the window. See those lights over there?” Dina asked, pointing in the distance.

Ellie squinted. There were quite a few of them. “Holy shit, that must be the Fireflies. We finally found them.”

“We can head in that direction and see what we find.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to rest for a bit?” Now that she was up and moving, she felt the energy surge back to her.

“I’m sure,” Dina replied. “I cleaned out your rifle too. Might need it in there.”

“Thanks. You didn’t have to.”

“Well, I had nothing else to do. It’s not a big deal. Besides, you don’t want it to malfunction.”

“I don’t,” Ellie agreed. She gazed at the lights. “What do you think’s gonna happen in there?”

“Honestly, no idea. So far, it’s all been fucked up, and I can’t even believe we’re not dead. But after all of it… I think we got this.”

“I think so, too. I just hope we’re ready for whatever’s in there.”

*

The girls were lucky with the weather. It wasn’t snowing, and the clouds had parted. The moon was just visible, casting a ghostly white light that was enough for them to see what lay ahead.

“I wonder what’s left in these stores,” Dina mused as they passed by several of them.

“Lots of stuff probably.”

“Back with mom, I remember it used to be my favourite thing to find places like these and take things I liked. I had a large collection of earphones, although, only like a couple of them worked. Still, it was fun collecting them.”

“You told me about this a while ago, but I’ve never seen them,” Ellie said.

“That’s cause I don’t have them anymore. They got left behind when mom died.” She looked around. “It’s still tempting to walk into one of these places.”

“Well, we can. We might have to walk through one of the stores anyway. I doubt the roads are clear, so we might have to take detours.”

“Could be,” Dina replied. “I know you still like comic books. If I find one, I’ll take it for you.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. It’s always fun reading them. You don’t have to use your brain too much, and it’s just relaxing. You should try it.” For years, she had tried to get Dina into reading comics, but her answer had always been the same.

“I’d rather read a book. Or listen to music.”

“Your loss. You don’t know what you’re missing out on. I don’t think I’ve ever told you this, but there was this time when Joel and I got a car from his friend Bill. When we were at his place, I found a large stack of comics and other stuff. And because they were just lying there, gathering dust, I took them with me. Turns out, one of them was a magazine with naked men in them.”

“Did you read it?” Dina asked.

“Obviously,” Ellie replied, shrugging. “It didn’t mean much to me, considering I wasn’t into it. But when I showed it to Joel, man, you should have seen his face.”

“Was he mad?”

“No, not really. He just didn’t know what to say and then he got all uncomfortable. It was pretty funny.”

“You still have it?”

“The magazine? No chance. Threw it out of the car then itself. Well, not before I asked Joel why they were all stuck together, and all he could manage was a ‘uh…’. I told him I was just fucking with him,” Ellie said, chuckling softly. “He really wasn’t impressed.”

“I can imagine that,” she replied, smiling. “I had that happen with Tommy once. We were out hunting, and I found a magazine like that in this really run-down house. I almost opened it before he saw what it was and snatched it away.”

“What did he say?” Ellie asked.

“‘You don’t need to grow up _that_ fast’.”

Ellie laughed. “Yeah, that does sound like Tommy.” She looked at Dina. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, noticing her smile.

“Nothing…”

“Okay then.” She suddenly caught Dina’s arm, making her halt.

“What?” Dina asked.

“Up ahead,” Ellie told her. “The light.”

“It could be a patrol,” Dina said, noticing what she was talking about.

It seemed to be moving towards them.

“Let’s avoid them,” she said. “In here. We’ll wait for it to pass.” She gestured at the nearby building.

It was indeed a patrol, and it seemed like they were running after something as they sprinted right by where Ellie and Dina were hiding, completely unaware. Within a minute, there was no sign of them.

“Hopefully, we won’t come across more of them,” Elie said.

“Hopefully,” Dina repeated.

“We should be close to where the Fireflies are,” Ellie said as they headed back onto the street. “I don’t think the patrol would wander too far from their base. A little further from here, and we should be there.”

“Don’t move,” a voice warned them from the back. It came from close behind them.

Ellie nearly jumped out of her skin. She had no idea when this person had snuck up on them. She instinctively began reaching for her knife, praying that the dark would let her get away with it.

“Don’t even try it. Now, put your hands above you and slowly turn around.”

She faced the man pointing the gun at them. The brown jacket, the hair, the gun, the voice, it was all too familiar.

“Tommy?” she asked. “What the fuck? How are you here?”

“Ellie? Dina? What do you mean? I should be asking you that. What the hell are you girls doin’ here?” he asked, holstering his weapon.

“Same as you. We came looking for Joel. Maria told us you left in the middle of the night without telling her.”

“I couldn’t leave Joel hanging like that,” Tommy said. “And she would’ve tried to talk me out of it. It was the only thing I could do. But, why are you two here? I told Maria to make sure you were safe in Jackson.”

“It’s not her fault,” Dina said. “We were leaving in the morning anyway, and we happened to meet her at the stables. That’s when she told us about you.”

“Yeah. She was really worried, and she wasn’t herself,” Ellie added. “And we would have left even if she didn’t want us to.”

“You’re stubborn, just like Joel,” Tommy told her. “Well, can’t nothing be done about that, now that you’re here. Follow me, I got a place nearby we can talk.”

He led the two girls to the back of a nearby store. It was well hidden from the outside, so he could afford to light a candle. The incandescent glow of the orange fell over the three Jackson residents. The tiny room was cosy with a small table in the middle, and a mattress along one side.

“Nearly got caught by the patrol trying to make it back here,” Tommy said. “Then I saw you two and couldn’t believe you girls were here.”

“Yeah, I think we saw the patrol too. What happened to your face?” Ellie asked, noticing the bruising.

“This? I was tryin’ to get one of the Fireflies to answer my questions. Almost broke my jaw. ‘Least I got the radio from him.” He held up the small black instrument for their benefit.

“Did you find anything about Joel then?” she asked hopefully.

“Well, actually, I did. Take a look at this.”

He walked towards the table in the room. From his bag, he pulled out a map and spread it open. From his pocket, he removed a pen. The map had multiple circles on it, with writing underneath them.

“How many days have you been here?” Dina asked him, looking at the markings.

“A couple. Gave me enough time to make guesses about where Joel was. I’ve been listening’ in on the radio as much as I can, and based on everything I heard and everything I saw, the Fireflies are in this part of the city.” He ran his finger around the large circle in the middle of the map.

“Okay, so what’s the problem?” Ellie asked, sensing that there was more to the statement.

“The barricades are the problem. They took care to cut off all the entrances. Imagine Jackson, but if it was in the middle of a city.”

“I don’t think they had any of that the last time.”

“The new guy really seems to be going out of his way to make our lives miserable then. Anyway, there’s no easy way in. The area inside the barricades isn’t too large, but it’s divided into four zones, with three lookouts for each of them. If you show up at any of them, you’re likely to get shot.”

“What about at night?”

“Doesn’t help. I tried to get in last night. Didn’t work well. Even tried right now, but I ended up getting spotted by the patrol.”

“How many of them are even there?” Ellie asked.

“Lots,” Tommy replied. “They’ve got way more people than Marlene ever did. We could be looking at a hundred, at least. And I’m just guessing here.”

“Jesus,” Ellie whispered in amazement. “How did this guy manage it?”

“Beats me.”

“How do you know all this stuff about the inside?” Dina asked.

“Well, let’s just say one of the Fireflies didn’t make it home,” he replied nonchalantly.

“What about the tunnels? That’s how Joel and I made it to the hospital last time,” Ellie said. “At least, from what I remember.”

“They could work. But I’m very sure they’ll be guarded. From what Joel told me, you came from this part of the city.” He pointed at the opposite side of where they were. “If I’m right, the tunnels will be a breeding ground for the infected in this season, with all the cold and damp. I had a lot of problem with that on the way here.”

“So, what’s the alternative?” Ellie asked.

“The sewers. From what I make of it, they run through the length of the whole city. I couldn’t find a map for it anywhere, but as far as I know, it should lead us to somewhere near Joel. A lot of them must have caved in, but if we can find a path that leads us even inside the barricades, we’ll be fine.”

“How do you know the sewers will be safe?” Dina asked.

“I don’t, but I think there’s only a small chance that they’ll be guarded. Apparently, there’s somethin’ down there that’s been killing any patrols sent in. It could be a group of bloaters. We can get past them. It’ll be like the tunnels, but because a lot of entrance points will be blocked, the infected won’t be gettin’ in or out easily. That’ll give us only a definite number of them to deal with. And I’m not too worried about the infected. I’d rather deal with them than other people.” He saw Ellie and Dina exchange glances. “What?”

“Nothing. I’ll tell you later,” Ellie replied, shaking her head. “Do you know where they’re keeping Joel?”

“Well, I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I’d say he was at the St. Mary’s Hospital. The Firefly I talked to said that the hospital was their headquarters. It would make sense to keep Joel there.”

Ellie thought about Joel, back in the very place where he had had to save her life. “Fuck… not there again.”

“That’s where the they tried to make the vaccine, right?” Dina asked.

Tommy looked at Ellie with a mix of confusion and shock. “She knows about it?”

Ellie nodded. “Yeah, she does. I got bit and then-”

“You got bit?! Fuckin’ hell, Ellie, are you okay?” He hurried around the table to her.

“I’m okay. Nothing happened. Jesus, it’s just a wound,” she replied, hiding the bite with her jacket.

“Are you sure?” Tommy pressed on. “You’re not feeling anything?”

“No, I’m not. It was a couple of days ago. Don’t worry about it.”

“What happened? How’d you even get bit? I knew you two should have stayed in Jackson.”

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you. Just finish what you were saying and then you can ask me all the questions you want.”

“You better answer all of them,” Tommy replied. “Alright, so, I found an entrance to the sewers that isn’t covered with snow. It’s about a mile that way.” He pointed behind Ellie and Dina. “It’s close to the walls, so I’ll have to be careful, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“‘I’ll’?” Ellie asked as his plan dawned on her. “You’re not going alone…?”

“I am. I’m not taking either of you inside. I’m responsible for-”

“Tommy, you can’t do that. We’ve come too far to just sit by. And I’m not waiting out here while you go put yourself in danger. You don’t know what’s in there.”

“That’s exactly my point, Ellie. It’s too dangerous, and I ain’t riskin’ taking you or Dina inside. I’ll go through the sewers, get Joel, and come back here. You two can stay here.”

“I’m not doing that. I’m coming with you.”

“I’m coming, too,” Dina said.

“Oh, fucking hell.” Tommy sighed. “I can’t let anything happen to you two, okay? We don’t know what the Fireflies are capable of anymore. I can’t afford to let you girls get hurt, or have something worse happen.”

“I know,” Ellie calmly said. “But Dina and I aren’t kids anymore. We can look after ourselves. We made it till here, and you won’t believe half the things we’ve seen. And you need help. You don’t know what to expect in there, and I can’t let anything happen to you either. I promised Maria I’d get you back to her.”

Tommy chuckled mirthlessly. “Of course you did.” He stared at the table for a long second. “Alright, we’ll go together only on the condition that you two follow my lead. No questions.”

“Understood,” Dina replied.

“Yeah, that’s fine with me, too,” Ellie said.

“Okay,” Tommy said, still seemingly unsure of the plan. “We’ll leave in half an hour.”


	15. The Sewers

The three of them headed towards the sewers once they were ready. On the way, Ellie and Dina answered Tommy’s questions about how they had gotten to Salt Lake City. He had never heard of the FEDRA Research Facility, and neither of the Descendants.

“I still can’t get over the fact that Jene tried to murder you,” he said when Ellie and Dina had finished telling him everything. Her actions had utterly shocked him. “I would’ve never thought she’d be capable of something like this.”

“I didn’t expect anything like that either,” Ellie replied. “She just came into the house at night and nearly killed Dina.” She had told him about everything but the file. It still was tucked into a side of her bag where she had left it the previous night. She had almost brought it up, but something had stopped her. And thankfully, Dina hadn’t pressed it either.

“You’re lucky nothing else happened. I need to talk this out with Maria. I’m not gonna let this just pass. Jene’s dug her own damn grave here.”

“If it wasn’t for Dina though, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

“It’s a good thing you two have each other then,” Tommy said. “And it’s a good thing that you didn’t kill Jene. It’d just have complicated things, and I don’t know what would’ve happened back in Jackson while we’re out here.” He looked at both of them. “You girls weren’t kiddin’ when you said you could handle yourselves,” he told them, an admiration in his voice. “I didn’t come across any of this.”

“How’d you get here?” Dina asked.

“Found a straggler from the Fireflies group. Knew it was them as soon as I saw the chain ‘round her neck. Didn’t take much to figure out where Joel could’ve gone after that.”

“I guess. Do you know this guy? Abraham?” Ellie inquired.

“I do, actually,” Tommy answered. “Well, not personally, but I saw him around Marlene a few times when I was a Firefly myself. Think he joined just before I left the group. I spoke to him, maybe once or twice. There was something off about him though.”

“What do you mean?”

“The way he spoke, it just seemed like he had this illusion in his mind that the Fireflies were some kind of modern-day messiahs. And that was the time Marlene and I had our differences. She’d started taking on a more militant approach, and that didn’t sit well with me. I think Abraham was the one who put the idea into her head.”

“But you did try talking to her, right?” Dina asked.

“I did. But she wouldn’t listen. She was forgettin’ everything the Fireflies stood for. Especially when she tried to kill Ellie. That’s not the Marlene I knew. She used to fight for people and make a difference to their lives.”

“Yeah, she’s looked out for me a lot,” Ellie recalled. “And she probably looked out for mom, too.”

“She used to be a completely different person even before you met her. Everything that happened in Pittsburgh changed her a lot. I don’t blame her for changin’. Being the leader of a group like that was bound to take a toll, but she began losing her morals, too. And that’s something you rarely come back from.”

“Mom and I used to hear a lot about the Fireflies,” Dina remembered. “I even told her to I wanted to join them. Almost went looking for them after she died.”

“It’s unfortunate what they became,” Tommy said. “They could’ve done such a lot.”

“They could have. But it’s probably not easy to make a difference either.”

“That I can agree with. However, doesn’t change the fact that the Fireflies were already finished thanks to Marlene’s approach.”

“Do you think Abraham’s gonna kill Joel?” Ellie asked after a momentary silence. She already knew the answer to the question, but she found it slipping off her tongue nonetheless.

Tommy sighed. “I don’t know, Ellie. Killing Marlene put Joel in a bad spot. She had a lot of loyal followers, and I’d told him that the Fireflies could come back for him. We tried to do everything to keep Joel and you safe. I didn’t expect them to come after so many years though. And not like this.”

Ellie nodded.

“Anyway, there’s the entrance.” He pointed it out.

“Doesn’t seem to be anybody around,” Dina noted.

“Better for us. Now, once we’re in there, it could get dangerous. Stay behind me and just do as I say, alright? Come on.”

*

Joel landed in a heap as the two guards threw him on the floor of his room, locking the door behind them. He lay there, unfeeling of the ground pressed against him. The cold touch seemed to help with the pain, so he barely moved a muscle, a feeble groan escaping his lips every little while. His mind seemed to have ground to a halt. He stared at the wall for what felt like hours, before he finally mustered the strength to push himself up.

The action sent jolts of pain through his abdomen, and he collapsed pathetically to the ground once again. He coughed a few times, his breath misting, before he tried again. This time, he managed to put himself into a sitting position.

“Nice room you’ve got here,” a familiar voice spoke from the door.

Joel froze. There couldn’t be anybody else in the room with him. He hadn’t heard the door open or close after the guards had left. And that voice. It wasn’t possible. He could recognise it anywhere in the world. He had heard it for years, and it was something, the sound of which, would never be erased from his memories.

“Tess,” he whispered in disbelief as his eyes fell on his companion from Boston.

“Long time no see Joel,” she remarked, unmoving. She looked the same as she had all those years ago.

Joel stared at her for an eternity. Then, he rubbed his eyes furiously, the dirt scratching his eyelids, but he didn’t care. He looked back at where he had seen Tess.

She was still standing there, arms crossed as she faced him, a curious look on her face.

“This ain’t real,” he told himself, realizing what was happening. “Get a hold of yourself, Joel.”

“Confused?’ she asked.

“You’re not here.”

She chuckled. “What makes you say that?”

“Cause you’re dead,” he told her warily.

“And whose fault was that?”

He jerked his face away, as if hoping that it would be enough to end whatever was happening. “What do you want?” he asked with suspicion when she hadn’t moved a muscle.

She ignored him as she stepped closer towards his sitting body. “Quite a nice life you built for yourself. What a great way to ensure my death wasn’t in vain.”

“Get out of my head, Tess.”

“I wish. You had one job, Joel. Get the girl to the Fireflies and be on your way. But you couldn’t even do that.”

“I did what I had to do.”

“And look where that got you. My body is still layin’ at that very spot you left me in.”

“You told us to go on without you,” Joel argued. “You were bit. There was nothing I could do.”

Tess refrained from answering again, walking around the room in a circle. “Do you remember our time, Joel? How we used to be in Boston.”

“What about it?”

“Askin’ if you remember it. We had so many plans, didn’t we? That time we lay on the roof of that museum- I know that one’s your favourite. You wish you could get it back, don’t you? You wish you had someone like that with you.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” he asked.

“You can’t lie to me,” she said. "I know everything that’s in your head. So, tell me, don’t you feel alone sometimes? You still miss me.”

“I do,” he confessed. “But that part of my life is over. And I don’t want to go back there. I have everythin’ I need now.”

“So, why am I here then? Why are you hallucinating me? It could’ve been anyone.”

Joel sighed. “I don’t know, Tess. I just feel tired and worn out. And afraid. I was never like this after the outbreak.”

“You got yourself a nice beatin’.” Tess laughed. “You’re going to die in here, Joel,” she said spitefully, the sudden shift in her tone making him recoil. “Never seeing Ellie again. Never tellin’ her that all you wanted for her was a good life. She probably still hates you for lying to her. She’s sitting in Jackson right now, not even caring that you’re missing. All of them are probably happy you’re gone.”

His lips curled. “They’re not. Tommy will know something’s wrong and he’ll go to New Town. He’ll find out what happened.”

“And then what? He’s goin’ to come looking for you? What if something happens to him?”

“Nothing’s going happen to him. He’s tough.”

“But does it really matter? You’ve fucked it up badly. Should’ve come clean much sooner, Joel.”

“I couldn’t do that. Ellie wouldn’t understand why I did it.”

“And so, you hid it. Hid it, until she broke down and had to beg you for the answers. Great parentin’ there.”

“You have no idea what it’s like,” he said, his fingernails digging into his palms.

“I don’t? Enlighten me then.”

“Every day I wanted to tell her. But the truth isn’t as fuckin’ easy as you think. She’s a kid. She didn’t deserve any of what’s happening to her. I travelled with her all those months. I took care of her all along the way. I watched as she shot someone to save me. I watched her begin to lose hope when those two brothers we found in Pittsburgh died. I saw her smash a man’s face in and not stop because she couldn’t take it anymore. When I nearly died at the University, she made sure I recovered. Is that what a fourteen-year-old is supposed to have in her life?

“I know what she’s lost. When she told me about Riley, I saw how upset she was. And Marlene? That woman was willing to kill the child of her friend? Without even telling her? She fuckin’ deserved it when I put that bullet in her head. And Abraham doesn’t scare me. I’ve seen men with bigger mouths than his. They’re ain’t talking any longer. So, I’ll be goddamned if I rot in here and let the Fireflies kill me! You hear me?”

He took a deep breath.

Tess was gone.

*

“It smells like decayed shit in here,” Ellie complained, rapidly pinching her nose to save herself from the mind-numbing air. Thin trickles of water cascaded down the curved sides, a constant sound in the otherwise quiet environment.

“I think I lost all my sense of smell a while ago,” Dina replied, her boots splashing in the shallow filth.

They had been walking through the maze of tunnels for nearly an hour now. So far, they had come across a few infected, most of which had been stalkers. It was still much lesser than they had expected.

Tommy was right in his predictions- most of the entrance points had been blocked and several sewer gates locked, so they followed whatever path lay in front of them, heading deeper into the Fireflies’ territory. Backtracking had become common for them.

“This ain’t too bad,” Tommy said. “It was way worse back in the day.”

“Glad I never had to walk through one when it was.” Ellie looked around in the dimly-illuminated area. “I have no clue where we are.”

“We have to be somewhere under the Fireflies’ area. If we can just find a way out, we can grab Joel and get out of there.”

As they came to a T-junction, Tommy beckoned them to stop.

“Bloater up ahead,” he informed them as he peered around the wall. He looked to other side. A sewer gate blocked the way. “Damn gate. We’re going to have to deal with it.”

“How do you want to do that?” Ellie asked. Bloaters were her least favourite type of infected, rightfully so.

“I got a little something saved up for it. Get your masks on.” He pulled out a bottle full of liquid and a rag. He quickly set on creating the incendiary device, pouring some of its oddly good-smelling contents onto the cloth hanging out of the bottle as well. He held the bottle in one hand and his lighter in the other, preparing to light it.

“The fire should distract it long enough for us to get it down,” he told them.

“With guns?” Dina asked, skeptical. “What if they hear us above?”

Tommy shook his head. “Small chance. There’s enough ground between us and them. They won’t hear a thing.” He peeked out at the infected creature again. “I’ll throw this. You two get your weapons ready. As soon as it’s on fire, aim for the head. It’ll die quicker that way.”

“Got it,” Ellie replied, loading her rifle. She pulled the bolt back, waiting for Tommy to begin their assault of the bloater blocking their way.

Tommy led the way, with the two girls close behind him. The infected was facing the other way, spores floating around it. It was massive, owing to the dark and wet atmosphere in the sewers for the fungal growth. It hadn’t noticed them yet.

“Hey!” Tommy drew its attention so it would face them.

The creature turned around, but before it could do anything, Tommy hurled the grenade at it. The bottle crashed against its tough skin, immediately shattering into pieces. The small flame on the cloth became a large inferno, an instant carnage of orange and red that twirled around its body, setting it aflame.

The bloater emitted a roar, batting at its own body, trying to douse the fire.

Ellie aimed at its head and fired. The bullet found its mark, causing the creature to recoil and roar again in anger.

“Keep firing!” Tommy loaded his own gun hastily, joining Ellie and Dina.

Within no time, the creature toppled backwards, splashing the foul-smelling water before it moved no more.

“That was surprisingly easy,” Ellie said, slinging her rifle around her once again.

“Once you light them on fire, they become much easier targets,” Tommy said. “Hell, with three of us, it barely stood a chance.”

“Put down your guns,” an unfamiliar voice instructed them.

Ellie spun around. A small group of people stood where the three of them had just come from. One of them had the barrel of a revolver pressed against Dina’s neck. The sewer gate that had been locked, was now open.

“Let go of her,” Ellie growled.

“I will,” the man holding the gun told them. He had a scar down his right cheek, visible through his mask. “Your weapons. On the ground. Now.”

“Okay, let’s not do anything stupid,” Tommy calmly said, raising his hands in surrender. “Just let her go, and we’ll be on our way.”

“Do it!” he barked, pressing the metal further into Dina’s neck.

“Listen, buddy. You don’t want to do that. We ain’t here to cause trouble. Let her go, and I promise you, we’ll be gone.”

The man gave no answer, instead replying by shoving the barrel against her skin.

Ellie’s eyes met Dina’s, the fear in them apparent. “Stop!” Ellie placed her rifle to the side. Tommy followed suit. “There. We’ve done what you asked.”

The man gestured to the others of his group with a flick of his head.

“What are you doing?” Ellie asked apprehensively as they strode over to Tommy and her. “Hey, what the fuck!” One of the men grabbed her and shoved a bag over her head. “Let go of me, you fucker!”

“Don’t struggle.”

“Fuck you! Don’t touch me!” But her captor wouldn’t comply with her. Instead, he shoved her forwards.

“Keep walking.”

“Dina! Are you okay?” Ellie asked. She could only see the light of the flashlight pierce through the cloth. It told her nothing, however.

“I’m okay!” Dina’s reply came.

“Where are you taking us?” Tommy questioned them.

“You’ll find out.”

“Who are you?”

“Don’t ask so many questions.”

Ellie found herself being led through the winding turns. She had begun losing all track of where they had come from, and not being able to see didn’t help her sense of direction in the least.

“In here.”

As Ellie took another, she realized she had missed the elevated step. Tripping, she fell onto her front. A hand grabbed her bag and pulled her up onto her feet.

A door squeaked open, and Ellie was pushed once again. They were led inside somewhere, before another door was opened. There were voices all around them that seemed to have become hushed with their presence.

“What is this?” she heard a new voice ask from inside. It wasn’t an accent she had heard before.

“We found these three in the tunnels. They took out a bloater. It was impressive.”

“Why are they here? Did you forget what you are supposed to do with the Fireflies?”

Fireflies? Were their captors not Fireflies themselves?

Ellie suddenly found the bag on her head lifted. The abrupt change from darkness to light caused her to shield her eyes until they adjusted. They were in a small room. A man and a woman sat on chairs opposite them, a table between them. The man had a white stubble. His forehead was itched with lines, as if the weight of the world had fallen on his shoulders. A door lay to their left.

“They don’t look like Fireflies,” their captor said.

The seated man took a closer look at the three. Ellie looked behind her. Both Tommy and Dina had their covers removed as well. They looked just as confused as her.

“You’re right, Greg. No necklaces. But you know what happens if we let strangers walk around here in the tunnels.”

“Wait! You can’t kill us,” Ellie protested.

“You know where we are. If you tell someone… I cannot let that happen.”

“We haven’t done anything to you,” Tommy chimed in. “We don’t even know who you are. All we wa-”

“Not you,” the man cut across Tommy’s words. “What were you doing in the tunnels?” he asked, looking at Ellie. “Do you know about us?”

“No.” Ellie exchanged a quick glance with Tommy, who nodded his head. “We’re trying to get into the city. The Fireflies have taken someone from us.”

“This man, who the Fireflies took, did he do anything wrong?”

“He didn’t. He saved my life.”

The man nodded in response. He looked to be in deep thought. “I would like to let you go, so you can save your friend, but I’m afraid I cannot do that. You know where we are, and if you told the Fireflies about us, it would not go well.”

“We won’t tell them anything,” Ellie asserted. “I promise you.”

“I believe you, but this is a risk I cannot take. You see-”

The opening of the other door interrupted him. A girl appeared in the doorway. She looked younger than Ellie. Sweat glistened on her reddened face, her hair strewn haphazardly over it. She was dressed in a thick jacket.

“Amir?” She had a sickly voice.

The stubbled man got to his feet at once. “Nancy, what are you doing here? I told you to call Freddie if you needed me.”

“Who are they?” she asked, eyeing the three.

“It’s nothing. They were-”

“Wait, you’re Amir?” Ellie asked, making the connection. “Joseph’s Amir?”

Amir stared at her, a bewildered expression on his face. “What do you mean? Do you know Joseph?”

“I met him at the town. He was looking for some medicines for his daughter… Nancy.” She looked at the girl.

“Where is he? Did he find it?” Amir asked with an urgency in his voice.

Ellie suddenly found it difficult to tell them about Joseph. She looked away, unable to make eye contact.

“What happened? Where is Joseph?”

“He… didn’t make it. He gave me the medicines to bring to you.”

Amir stared at her. “That cannot be true.” When Ellie didn’t say anything further, he sat down, aghast. He buried his face in his hands. “Oh God.”

Nancy walked up to Ellie. “Dad… is dead?” she asked, her voice wavering. The tears were already brimming in her eyes.

Ellie felt a pang of regret. “I’m sorry. I tried to save him, but I couldn’t.”

“You’re lying.”

She shook her head.

The young girl broke into sobs before she fled the room.

“Nancy, wait!” Amir immediately chased after her, pausing in the doorway. “Greg, get these three in. Sit them down in my room. I’ll deal with them later.”

Ellie watched the man disappear, before Greg nudged her on her back.

“Let’s go,” he said in a low voice, gesturing at the open door. “In there.”


	16. Underneath the City

As Greg led the three out of the room, they had their first look at what Amir was seeking to protect. The maintenance rooms connecting the tunnels had been converted into living quarters for an entire community. It wasn’t large by any standards, but it certainly wasn’t insignificant either. While the word ‘filthy’ didn’t come to mind, it didn’t feel particularly homely.

Walking down the corridor, they went past several rooms. One of them housed a makeshift kitchen, and another, a dormitory. The walls were still a dull grey, though there were numerous drawings on them to liven up the atmosphere down there. Shades of red, green and blue were spread out all over.

Ellie felt uncomfortable with all the eyes on them. It was night time, so not many people were awake, yet there were at least four or five of them. None of them spoke up, but she could make out the discomfort in their faces. Most of them had dropped whatever they were doing and were standing completely still.

“You girls okay?” Tommy asked from behind them. They passed a room with an open door, noticing a few children asleep inside.

“I’m okay. Ellie?” Dina turned to her.

“Yeah, I’m okay, too.”

Before they could ask any more questions, Greg stopped in front of a door. He held it open for them.

“We’re not going in there,” Tommy declared firmly. “We don’t know who you are, and you’re not lockin’ us up in there.”

“I’m not going to lock you in. If Joseph really knew this one,” he jerked his head at Ellie, “And gave her the medicines to bring back here, then you’re not a harm to us. You’re the only ones who can tell us what happened to him.”

Tommy was about to argue, but Dina patted his arm.

“It’s alright,” she said. “We’ll wait in there.”

Greg let them through, softly shutting the door behind them. They could hear voices gather outside, talking to him.

They were in, what appeared to be, a study. The cracks in the walls showed its aging, a discolored greenish hue tainting it that didn’t inspire any hope. A table and some chairs sat in the room. A cabinet adorned one wall, while a mattress and blanket lay parallel to another.

“So, that’s the Amir that man, Joseph, told you about,” Tommy said.

“Looks like it. You do have the medicines, right?” Dina asked Ellie.

She nodded. “Don’t worry, they’re safe in my bag.” Her mind kept replaying Nancy’s reaction, the horror on her face as she realized her father was truly not coming back. She couldn’t help but think about Joel.

“We can use that to bargain for our safety,” Tommy proposed. “You two still have some weapons on you? Knives, pistols, whatever. We might need them.”

“I do,” Ellie replied, pushing away the vile thoughts floating around in her head. “I think Dina does too. They only took whatever we were holding. But I don’t think we’ll need them.”

“Might not, but keep them ready, in case we do. No harm in being prepared.” He extracted his pistol from his bag, making sure it was loaded. He studied the room. “What the hell are they doing down here? Right under the Fireflies’ nose.”

“They don’t seem to like the Fireflies,” Dina observed. “I don’t blame them, honestly.”

“Wonder what happened,” Tommy said.

The door swung open once again, and Amir entered the room. In the little time that they had seen him, he had begun to look raddled.

“What happened to Joseph?” he asked softly.

“He died while we were escaping from the hospital,” Ellie answered. “One of the Descendant’s members got him. He gave me the meds to bring to you before he died.”

Amir sighed, shaking his head. “I’d told him that place was a bad idea.”

“He said it was the only way to save his daughter.”

“It was. I tried everything else, but without proper medication, there wasn’t much I could do. And thanks to you coming here, she might have a chance. Do you have it with you right now?”

“The meds?” She pulled them out of her bag. “I’ll give this to you if you promise to let us go unharmed.”

“I will honor that,” Amir replied, taking it from her. He held it up in front of his face, his eyes lighting up. Joseph had spoken the truth about how desperate they were.

Amir reached inside for a couple of them. He handed them to Greg who was standing in the doorway. “Give this to Nancy right now. Let her sleep after that.”

“Should I tell her you’re coming?” Greg asked him.

“In some time. I’ll let you know when we are done here.”

“I tried to save him, but I couldn’t do anything,” Ellie told Amir as he returned to them.

“Thank you for trying then...?” He seemed to be asking for her name.

Ellie glanced unsurely at Tommy.

Amir noticed the exchange. “You don’t have to worry about telling me your names. I am not going to hurt you for being honest with me. That is not who I am.” When they didn’t respond, he continued. “I have allowed you into my home. The least you can do is identify yourselves.”

When they did, they got no adverse response from him.

Now, knowing their names, Amir leant against the table. It was clear that his mind still dwelled on the topic of his dead friend. “When Joseph left from here,” he started, “I knew it could be the last time I ever saw him. And… now it’s actually come true.” His voice faltered.

“Why did he go alone then?” Dina asked.

“Because we needed everyone here. Things aren’t going well for us right now. We knew the winter would be bad, but not like this.”

“You’re the doctor for the people here?” Tommy asked.

“I am,” Amir replied. “We’ve been here for a year now.”

“Why down here though? This doesn’t seem like the best place to live in.”

“How much do you know about the Fireflies?”

“Just as much as everyone else,” Tommy lied. “They don’t get along with FEDRA.”

“That is what everyone knows. We used to be part of the Fireflies too. Some time ago, nobody seemed to know about where they were. Then, about three years ago, word had started to spread around that they were back again, and were looking for people to join them. I had a small group then, and we’d travel from place to place. We were barely making it by. Joseph and Nancy were there, and you met Greg too. When we heard about the Fireflies, we decided to take the chance and make our way here.”

“And it wasn’t what you expected?” Tommy asked.

“It was, for a while. There was plenty of food, water, shelter- all of the things that you would need. But the Fireflies’ leader, his name is Abraham, he wasn’t fit to lead them. There were things he made everyone do that… make me question whether he had any humanity left in him.”

“Like what?” Ellie questioned.

“He wanted to solve everything with violence. There was no room for peace in his book. He would completely destroy communities for their supplies. And he would not spare anyone, not even the little ones. And there was no backing out of raids like that. Everyone had to do them.”

“And the children?” Tommy asked, pointing his thumb behind his back where they had seen them sleeping. “Were they safe as well?”

“They were. Inside the walls. As long as we obeyed his orders, he didn’t care about them.”

“Why didn’t you do something then?”

“We did. Why do you think we were forced down here? Some of us had had enough with him. So, we tried to change things, tried to make him step down. The Fireflies were splitting into two because of that. We had a large enough group, and we wanted to make things better for everyone there. But it did not go well. When we tried to confront him, he did not want to talk at all. It ended up in a big gunfight.” Amir’s shoulders slouched as he remembered the past. “We lost most of the people who were with us. When we knew it was finished, we got everyone we could and tried to escape through the sewers. One thing after another, and we ended up staying here.”

“But why under the Fireflies?” Tommy questioned.

“It was the middle of winter when everything happened. We had children, and pregnant women with us. Men and women who were wounded. We wouldn’t have survived for too long if we didn’t have a place to keep warm.” He gazed absently at the door. “It was a terrible time. We lost more people to the infected down here.”

“What about supplies? You don’t have any way of growing your own food here.”

“We _stole_ it from the Fireflies’ stores,” Amir answered with a brief pause.

Their conversation was interrupted by the door.

“Amir, she’s not doing well. I think you should come see her,” a man informed him.

Amir went silent. “Come with me,” he told the three as he left the room and crossed the corridor.

It was the medical room, or at least purported to be one. Mattresses lay in two neat rows across the floor. Some of them were already occupied. A table to one side held all the medical equipment the community had, while a small cabinet next to it showed off bottles, most appearing empty. Ellie spotted Nancy’s sleeping figure at the back.

Amir knelt by a woman close to them. “How are you feeling?” he asked, touching her forehead with the back of his hand.

“Not good,” she mumbled weakly.

“Your fever has gone up. You have been taking the medicines?”

She nodded; her eyes barely open.

“It’s going to get better, okay? You need to sleep. That’s the only way you’re going to be back to normal. Does your leg hurt?”

“No….”

“That’s an improvement, then,” Amir told her soothingly. “Close your eyes, and don’t think about anything else. Focus on resting.” He retrieved something from the cabinet and held it to her lips. “Take this,” he said, offering her a bottle of water to wash down the pill. He stroked her forehead and got up, leading them back to the study.

“She doesn’t look good,” Tommy observed. He had seen plenty of Jackson members in the medical room, and he knew when something was beyond help.

“She doesn’t,” Amir agreed. “She injured herself a couple of weeks ago. The wound healed, but she has had this fever ever since then. And it’s only getting worse.”

“So, what now?”

“I will do whatever I can. The rest, is up to God.” He looked at Ellie. “Your friend must have done something that the Fireflies really didn’t like if they captured him and not killed him there and then. What did he do?”

Before Ellie could reply, Tommy answered for her. “He got on their wrong side. Did things they didn’t like.”

“You said he saved you…?” Amir directed his question at Ellie.

“He did,” Tommy replied. “The Fireflies wanted to kill her. He didn’t let them. It was some time ago.”

“Why did they want to kill her?”

“It’s… a long and complicated story, but what I know is that they weren’t in the right.”

“Killing the young is never right, no matter the circumstances. That is what I believe.” He contemplated for a second. “Since you are going into the city, you should do it at night. It’s already late tonight. I think you can spend the night here and go tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow?” Ellie sputtered. “We can’t wait that long. It’s already been too many days since they have Joel.”

“You have already lost a lot of time tonight,” Amir reasoned. “It might not be easy to find your friend, especially if he is not at the hospital. If you take my advice, go tomorrow.”

“Ellie’s right. It has to be right now,” Tommy affirmed her thoughts.

“Do you even know where they are holding him?” Amir asked. “If I know Abraham well, your friend will most likely be at the St. Mary’s Hospital. That is where they run everything from.”

“That’s what I had in mind,” Tommy admitted. “We’ll find a way through the tunnels.”

“I can help you do that,” Amir suddenly offered. “By bringing us the medicines, you’ve done us a big favor. Greg will take you to the entrance that opens up near the hospital. After that, you’re on your own.”

“That sounds fair. Appreciate that.”

“There is something I have to ask of you, however.”

Tommy gave him a questioning glance.

“If you do get caught, don’t tell them about us. We won’t be able to get out in time, and Abraham will not rest till he deals with us.”

“We promise,” Ellie chimed in.

Amir nodded, satisfied with her response. “I still think you can take some rest. We have some food available that we can spare for you. Tomorrow night, you can-”

“We’re going,” Tommy asserted. “We could use your help getting there, but otherwise, we’ll still go on our own.”

Amir sighed. “Tonight, it is, then.” He walked to the door and called out to Greg. He spoke to him, explaining the situation before making his way back. “He will take you.”

“We should go right now,” Greg told them. “I agree with Amir about tomorrow night, but it’s your choice to make. The entrance is not very far off.”

“Let’s get going,” Tommy told Ellie and Dina.

“Amir?” Ellie called out.

He looked at her.

“Joseph was a good man,” she said.

He gave her a pained smile. “I wish you luck.”

“Follow me,” Greg said as they returned through the corridor back to the sewer gate that kept the community safe. He unlocked, letting them through.

“When did you meet Amir?” Tommy asked.

“Long time ago. Must have been over ten years, at least. I lived alone until I came across Amir and the others. He told me I could join them instead of trying to survive on my own. Never looked back after that.”

“What did you think of Abraham?” Ellie asked.

“Everything Amir told you is true. That man is a psychopath. I’m surprised no one’s killed him yet, but he’s got his loyal dogs guarding him. Where are you folks from?”

“Wyoming,” Tommy answered.

“Not too far. You came all the way down here for your friend?” Greg asked.

“Yeah…” Ellie replied.

“He’s definitely lucky to have you three,” he said admiringly.

The tunnels twisted and turned. Ellie was certain that if they did not have Greg leading them, they wouldn’t have made it to the right entrance. Navigating through the city would be equally difficult, and trying to rescue Joel in the daylight was a suicide mission. Everything that had to done, had to be in the dark.

She found Greg likeable. There was an air of familiarity to him that made her want to talk to him. The way he spoke, it felt like they’d known him longer than they actually had. Tommy and Dina seemed to be getting along with him as well, going by the constant stream of questions from either side.

He had grown up in Portland. When the outbreak happened, he had been with his sister. Both of them were kids, but still tough. A supply run gone wrong a few years later, he had ended up alone. From that day to the day he met Amir, he had steered clear of any human contact. He seemed to be enjoying himself as well for the moment. It was certain that once he knew that the trio weren’t harmful, he had immediately warmed up to them.

For a bit, Ellie was engrossed as well. She hadn’t smiled that much in days, and she sorely missed conversing like that. 

*

“We’re here,” Greg announced. He tiptoed to the entrance and spied through the grills. When he was sure that there was nobody around, he carefully moved the metal from its hinges. “That’s the hospital,” he told them, pointing in the distance. “Watch out for the patrols.”

The hospital wasn’t very far off. The night seemed dead.

Ellie stepped out ahead of him. She was ready to bring Joel home, and she would do whatever it took.


	17. St. Mary's Hospital

“How are we gonna get in?” Dina asked once they had managed to evade any Fireflies and had reached the compound wall of the hospital. The city was fairly silent, but there were still enough patrols to watch out for.

“There’s no way we’re goin’ in through the front door,” Tommy said. “Joel told me he got out through the basement parking the last time. There’s an elevator there as well, but that’d be a bad idea. The stairway should be near it. That’ll give us an easier way inside. Let me climb over and make sure that it’s safe.” With that, he scaled the wall and the soft sound of boots hitting the snow told them he was in.

“This hospital is massive,” Dina observed.

“It is,” Ellie agreed. “We’re finally here after everything. I don’t like the look of this place.”

“Why?”

“I guess it’s just what comes to mind when I think of it. I know I’ve never seen it before, but it’s got too many things attached to it now. The sooner we find Joel, the better. I don’t want to stay here any longer than we have to.”

“We won’t. We’ll be back home in no time now.”

“I hope so.”

“I can’t wait to get back home and have a proper bath,” Dina said.

Ellie chuckled. “Is that all that’s on your mind? You know, I wouldn’t mind that either.”

“What else is better in winter?” Dina asked rhetorically. “Why is he taking so long?”

“Let’s give him another minute.”

They didn’t need to. They heard Tommy whisper that it was clear on the other side.

Ellie hoisted herself over the wall, nearly landing on what appeared to be a body. “Jesus, what the fuck?”

“Had to get rid of him,” Tommy explained.

He had stabbed the guard and pulled him into cover. They were in the parking lot at the back of the hospital. Vehicles were parked all around, some that appeared to be working, and the others, completely rusted. That provided ample hiding space, at least, while it was night.

“The entrance to the basement is that side,” he informed them. “There’s just one guard there. I’ll try and get information about Joel from him. There’s a good chance he might know.”

They stealthily approached the guard blocking their way. Tommy left their side, his knife out. He was good at staying silent, and that showed. The man only heard Tommy’s footsteps when it was too late to do anything. The knife pressed against his neck as a voice hissed in his ear.

“Where are you holdin’ the man you brought here from Jackson?”

“Hey, what are you doing there?” a voice sounded from near the wall.

Ellie’s heart skipped a beat. In the dark, they had missed the second guard that was stationed across the first. She had been leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette, when she spotted Tommy threatening the other guard.

Knowing that everything would be over in less than a second if she didn’t act fast, Ellie pulled out her own blade and made a wild rush for her. Caught off-guard, the woman tried to unholster her pistol, but Ellie had the advantage. The knife found soft flesh just as the impact sent both of them reeling onto the snowy ground. She struggled against Ellie, whose hand was now clamped against her mouth, but it was in vain. The life slowly ebbed out of her eyes before she went still.

Ellie stood up, retrieving her knife from the dead woman’s chest.

“Are you okay?” Dina asked.

“Uh huh.”

“Damn it, I didn’t see her there. You got her good,” Tommy said. He turned his attention towards the guard. “Do you want to die like her? Where. Is. Joel. Scream and I’ll make sure you regret it. You have three seconds before I cut your throat.”

“No, no, please… I swear I don’t know.”

“One…”

“I can’t. Abraham will kill me. Please-”

“Two…”

“Don’t. You can leave and I won’t tell anyone!”

“Thr-”

“Okay, okay! He’s on the fifth floor. There’s a supply closet down the corridor on the right. It’s right past the admin room.”

“If you’re lying to me,” Tommy threatened, “It ain’t gonna be good for you.”

“I promise. I’m not!”

Tommy gently eased the sharp end of the blade away from his skin. Then, without warning, he flipped the knife deftly with his fingers and brought the hilt down on the back of the man’s head. His victim collapsed like a sack of stones.

“That should keep him out of our way for a couple of hours,” Tommy said. “Here, help me move him.”

Ellie and Tommy grabbed a hand each and tugged at it, pulling the unconscious man out of the open. They deposited him behind a truck, then did the same for the deceased woman. Dina, in the meantime, kicked snow back over the bloody trail, hiding their track.

A ramp, wide enough to let a truck through comfortably, led into the basement parking. Only a couple of lights were lit in the otherwise dark place. It was a large space that could easily accommodate dozens of cars. Considering the size of the hospital itself, the enormity was a given.

There, too, were scattered a few cars that had seen one too many days after their time. Ambulances, much past their prime, were rotting over on one side. It was the perfect place for the infected to grow. Thankfully, there were none down there.

With extreme caution, so as to prevent what happened to them just a few minutes ago, they navigated the area, looking for the way up.

“Hey, look, the elevator’s there,” Dina said, pointing it out.

“That’s gotta be the stairs then,” Tommy guessed, looking at the set of doors to its side.

He was right. A faded green board read ‘Emergency Exit’ with a pictorial representation of the stairs and a man climbing them. Tommy pressed down the handle, slowly pushing it open and stepping inside.

The stairs twisted upwards. The floor was dirty, likely never having been cleaned after the hospital stopped operating. Dirt and grime were stuck in brown patches. The wall in front of them curved with the curve of the stairway. Glass decorated the wall, giving them a view of what was happening outside. not that they could see much at this hour other than random flashes of light.

They quietly headed up, on their guard in case an unexpected visitor came in their path. They already knew it was the fifth floor, so assuming the guard was not lying, they were aware of where they were to go. That was one less headache to deal with.

There was movement on nearly all the floors. A few voices carried through the doors, but none of it was intelligible. With luck, none of the Fireflies had decided to take the stairs, which gave the three a clear route to the upper floor. Cleaning equipment and ‘Wet’ signs still littered the landings, left there for years since the hospital was first abandoned. The yellow on it had faded, leaving behind a whitish brown now. Mops took their place next to it.

The emergency exit door stared them in the face as they as made it to their floor. Tommy peeked in through the glass.

“Can’t see anybody,” he whispered.

The floor was dead silent, and Ellie wasn’t sure whether that was a good or a bad sign.

They inched the door open, checking each side to ensure it was safe to enter. The corridors were large. The floor was lighted at somewhat regular intervals, while the rest was still plunged into darkness. That particular floor seemed to be less lit than the others. That could mean that were lesser people there.

“He said right,” Ellie recalled. She looked in that direction. It looked the same as the other corridor to her left, as well as the one ahead of them.

“We’ve gotta look for the admin room,” Tommy reminded them.

They walked slowly in a single file, with Tommy at the front and Dina at the back. Dirty hospital beds were pushed to the sides, though there weren’t too many. Looking in through some of the ajar doors, Ellie could make out that they were mostly patient rooms. She saw boxes in one of them and wondered whether the Fireflies had a kept a file on her.

The paint on the walls had chipped off with years and years of neglect. Some of the medical equipment was still visible through the glass windows, but all of it had been stacked against the walls, gathering dust. It didn’t look like it was in use anymore. It seemed like the Fireflies had stopped looking for any sort of cure.

Suddenly, Ellie bumped into Tommy, and Dina into her. He had abruptly stopped walking. He swung around with incredible swiftness.

“In there!” he urged without an explanation, shoving Ellie and Dina into the nearest room he could find.

And it was just in time.

As Tommy disappeared into the room after the two girls, the guard turned the corner and walked past right where they had been. Another second, and all their attempts at keeping themselves hidden would have washed down the drain.

“Too close,” Tommy said, taking a deep breath once the footsteps had receded. “I would’ve walked into his sight if we kept going. Barely missed him. There was another guard at the end of the corridor. He was just sitting there. That’s gotta be where they’re keepin’ Joel.”

They took the cover of the wall and edged towards the corner. Tommy poked his head out for a second.

“Can you see the admin room?” Ellie asked.

“Yeah,” Tommy answered. “It’s right there. We need to deal with the guard. Without using a gun.”

“I have an idea,” Dina said.

*

The guard sat on the chair; his rifle propped up against the wall next to him. It had been a long day, and he would have liked to sleep now, but Abraham had given the duty to watch the door. And that was something he wasn’t going to refuse. Being close to the leader brought several privileges, and sacrificing those was out of the question. Tomorrow, he would swing by and pick up those cigars from the ration that he always wanted to try.

There was a clang just out of view of the corridor.

He nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Mark? That you?” There was no response. He swore at having to investigate.

He picked up his rifle and stood up. “What’d you do, fuckin’ walk into a wall?” He laughed at his own statement began heading towards the source of noise.

*

Tommy stood ready, waiting for the guard to come to him. The footsteps grew closer, and he was poised to attack. Just as the barrel of the weapon became visible, Tommy threw himself out, wrenching the gun out of the stunned guard’s hand. He knocked him out with a single smack of the rifle butt. He checked his pockets and fished out a key.

“Looks like we’re on the right track,” he told the two, jiggling the keys before jogging down the corridor towards the supply room. It was a dark brown door that came right after the door to the admin room. There were no glass windows for it, like there had been for the others. Supply rooms were meant to be small.

Ellie’s mouth had gone dry in the meantime. Her hands felt clammy as she clenched them. Her heart was pounding through her chest, now that they were so close. She prayed that this would be it.

Tommy inserted the key and turned the knob. A split second later, something came barreling out of the open room and knocked him to the floor. The two bodies viciously struggled.

“Joel! It’s me!”

The body on top of him stopped attacking him. “Tommy?” the gruffy voice asked.

“Yeah. That’s me.” He groaned. “I think you near broke my damn rib.”

Joel got to his feet, a stunned look on his face. “It can’t be,” he whispered in disbelief as he stopped Ellie and Dina.

He looked like he had been through Hell and back. His clothes were stained and red splotches covered nearly every fibre of the cloth. His whitening beard was tainted with blood. He seemed to have aged a decade in his confinement. His skin had turned purplish on his face, especially under the eyes. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

A moment passed, and nothing happened. It was silent.

Then, Ellie dashed forward, knocking the wind out of him as she wrapped her arms around him.

“Ellie?” he asked, still uncertain.

She nodded into his chest.

He exhaled. “Oh, baby girl, I didn’t think I was ever goin’ to see you again,” he whispered, holding her protectively.

Ellie never wanted to let go. But eventually, she did, breaking away from him.

Joel hugged Tommy and Dina.

“It’s good to see you kickin’,” Tommy said, a grin on his face.

“I’m surprised myself. What are you doing here?” Joel asked. There was a settled weariness in his voice.

“You really think we wouldn’t come get you?”

He chuckled.

“Are you okay?” Ellie asked.

“I’ve been worse,” he responded. “How’d you get inside?”

“Some good old fashioned sneakin’ in,” Tommy answered. He glanced back. “We’re still not safe. Now’s the chance to get out. We’ll go down the same way. With luck, we’ll be out in no time.”

They headed back towards the stairway, passing the unconscious guard still lying in the floor.

“Keep your voices down,” Tommy instructed.

Ellie’s mind brimmed with questions, but she knew it wasn’t the time. For now, she was content knowing they were all getting out of there safely.

They had barely made it past one floor, before they heard the yelling. They stopped in their tracks, waiting to see what they could make of it. Ellie looked down through the gap in the middle and spotted the lights moving upwards.

“Fuck, they know we’re here!”

Tommy took a look as well, cursing. “Shit! They must’ve found the bodies.”

A spark flew off the metal handrail as a bullet ricocheted and flew into a wall.

“They’re already here!” Ellie loaded her rifle.

Tommy was ahead of her. He had his pistol out and fired back at the Fireflies, temporarily halting them.

“What now?” Dina asked, clutching her handgun.

“Back there!” Joel ordered them, throwing open the door to the floor. A surprised guard looked at them, before fumbling around with his rifle.

Tommy fired his gun, killing the man there and then.

Joel picked up the fallen weapon.

“I hope you can still fire it, cause we ain’t getting’ out here otherwise,” Tommy said. He closed the door behind them, turning the lock.

Joel pressed the elevator switch to their right. When nothing happened, he pressed it multiple times in frustration.

“What’s wrong?”

“It ain’t working.”

“Any other way?” Tommy asked.

“This is the only other one,” Joel answered.

“We’ll fight if we need to then,” Ellie bravely said.

He shook his head. “Won’t make it.” He pressed the switch again.

Ellie watched with a sinking hope at the scene unfolding in front of her. The Fireflies would be up onto the landing and would bust open the door any second now.

A sudden hail of bullets made them all duck.

They had been fired from the other side of the floor.

“Take cover!”

The four of them sprinted down the other side and threw themselves behind any object they could find. Ellie landed awkwardly behind a table. The wood was thick enough to stop the impact of the bullets.

The door to the stairs flew open and more armed Fireflies entered.

Ellie fired a bullet back at them. The sound was insignificant compared to the yelling and the other guns. She fired again. The Fireflies were inching closer now. Their firing was relentless and Ellie was sure one of the bullets had her name on it.

She looked at Dina who was next to her. The other girl stopped firing her handgun when she noticed Ellie was looking at her. Their ears were ringing from the incessant noise. There was utter commotion.

“JOEL!”

Ellie’s blood went cold at the yell. She saw Joel clutching his shoulder, completely exposed to the Fireflies. Without a second thought, she jumped out of cover and ran to his side.

“Ellie, get out of the open!” She heard Tommy yell at her.

She grabbed Joel’s other arm and helped him up. The bullet only seemed to have grazed him. Just as she was helping him get into cover behind the wall, a blinding pain erupted in the back of her head.

*

Ellie was roused back to consciousness by the sound of voices.

“Did you really think you were going to make it out?” she heard an unfamiliar voice ask. It wasn’t close to her, so it couldn’t possibly be directed at her. “What did you think, you would walk right in here and escape?”

Her eyes refused to focus, instead, painting a blurry picture for her. There was a table a few feet in front of her, and a door next to it. Someone was standing in the direction of her right, while someone else was seated next to her. It could have been Dina.

“Don’t do anything to them, you hear me? You can kill me if you want, but you let them go.”

“Joel, whatever happens, we’ll make sure Ellie and Dina get out.”

Ellie groaned. Her head felt like it had been split open. 

“What a bond you have,” the man said. “Too bad it’s not going to help.”

“Abraham don’t do this,” Tommy pleaded. “We’ve known each other. I was part of the Fireflies, too. Marlene wouldn’t want you to do-”

“You would know what Marlene wants?” Abraham roared. “You turned your back on us when you harbored your murdering brother. All for her!” There was a pause. “She’s finally up.”

“Don’t you fuckin’ go near her!” Joel was yelling now. “I swear I’ll kill you if you do anything to her!”

Ellie felt fingers grab her face roughly and shake it.

“Good to see we didn’t kill you,” he said.

She wasn’t still completely herself yet, and Abraham seemed to notice that.

“Who knew everyone would turn up here? Right in my home. Sneaking in like a bunch of thieves.” He snorted derisively. “I was going to keep you alive, Joel, for a little while longer. But with everyone watching, I’ve no reason to do that.” He was uncomfortably close to Ellie’s face. He gave her a few light taps on her cheeks.

“Don’t touch her! Goddammit, get away! I’ll kill you with my bare hands!”

“Is that all you do?” Abraham mocked him, letting go of Ellie. “Make empty threats? Is there nothing more to you?”

“Untie me, and you’ll find out,” Joel menacingly replied.

“Do you think I’m an idiot? The only way you’re leaving that chair is when I tell my soldiers to carry out your corpse. And don’t for a second think I’ll make it quick. As for the others, I might make Tommy’s and the other girl’s deaths quicker. Your girl, on the other hand, now she’s going to pay for what happened here too.”

“She had nothing to do with this, Abraham, and you know it,” Tommy reasoned. “Let the girls go.”

“Both of you clearly don’t know anything about me.”

Ellie’s hands were bound behind her. Unconsciously, she had already begun trying to free herself.

“Four years, and it’s all come together like this. All of your loved ones, in one room, waiting to meet their end.”

Ellie could feel her hands slipping out of the rope. Just a little bit more, and she would be free. She was fully awake now. Dina was still knocked out next to her. Tommy was on the far right, with Joel before him. They were all bound to their chairs. Abraham was the lone Firefly in the room, the door closed behind him.

She tracked his movements with her eyes, watching as he walked over to the table and picked up a knife. He turned it over, admiring it. It was Ellie’s. Her other blade also lay on the table, nearly overshadowed by the other weapons on display.

“You don’t have to do this,” Tommy tried reasoning again. “Whatever’s happened was in the past. We can all move on.” The fear in his voice was apparent, but if Ellie knew anything about him, it was that the fear was not for his safety.

“This is exactly what I have to do,” Abraham answered. His voice dripped with malice. He had to be enjoying himself. “Marlene and the other Fireflies have to be given their justice. My brother too. And who better than me, to deliver it? Let me show you what it’s like to lose your family.”

Joel had stopped talking, his breathing loud. Ellie knew exactly where Abraham was heading with that knife, and that only spurred her to continue her attempt at freeing herself. She prayed that it was in time.

Abraham stood in front of Joel; the knife clenched in his hand.

Ellie was nearly done. She turned her head. Joel was looking at her.

“Don’t…” Tommy begged one last time. “Please.”

But Abraham paid him no heed. “At least you’re not begging for your life, smuggler. You’ve lived your share.” He swung the knife.

The rope binding Ellie’s hands together fell to the floor just as the blade pierced Joel’s flesh. She heard a gasp and stared in horror as her eyes refused to believe the sight. Everything seemed to freeze. A cold descended down Ellie’s spine as she realized she was screaming. The smug smile on Abraham’s face broke her.

Beyond any semblance of reason or care, Ellie found herself picking up her blade from the table and leaping towards the leader of the Fireflies. There was simply no time for him to react. The knife smoothly edged into his throat. Almost instantly, a crimson river began flowing down his neck. He staggered backwards, pulling the knife out and inevitably, hastening his fate. His eyes found Ellie’s.

The young girl’s chest heaved, speckles of blood marring her skin. Her face was filled with rage. Abraham mumbled something, unable to make meaningful sounds. Then with a loud thud, he hit the ground and moved no more.

She heard muffled yelling behind her and turned towards it.

“Ellie, fuckin’ cut my rope! Ellie!” It was Tommy. He was struggling desperately against his restraint.

Ellie was pulled back to reality. She cut Tommy free and faced Joel. He had gone still, his head hanging limply. The knife was still lodged in his abdomen. His shirt was stained with his blood, a sticky and shiny puddle dripping onto the floor.

Tommy violently shook Ellie, forcing her into action. “Keep the area around the knife pressed!” he barked at her. “Joel? Can you hear me?”

Ellie’s vision went out of focus again, and she realized she was sobbing. She tried to stop herself, but the harder she choked back the sobs, the more the tears flowed.

“Joel!” Tommy cupped his face, yelling so close to him, it had to wake him up.

“Joel, you can’t do this to me!” Ellie pleaded. “Not after fucking everything!”

This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t be how he died. Without her telling him that she loved him. That she understood his actions. That she wanted him to be a part of her life. There were so many things they had to do.

“Wake up!”

But Joel didn’t move. He was still.

It couldn’t end this way.

“Joel… please.”


	18. Promises

**_One year ago._**

“Are we there yet?” Ellie asked as she and Joel rode their horse through the maze of streets. It was just past noon and the sun beat down on their backs. It was a fairly pleasant day, just the kind that made Joel want to lazily put his feet up on his porch with a cold beer in his hand. But today was different.

“It’s just a bit further,” he answered.

Ellie had turned eighteen the previous day. It had been a day full of celebrations in Jackson, but Joel had missed all of it. He and Arin had been out on a trade and were supposed to return by the morning. However, they had been ambushed the day before by raiders. Arin had sustained several injuries and Joel had been forced to postpone their return till the morning. They had arrived back home when it was late in the night. By then, everyone was asleep.

“So, how was yesterday?” Joel asked.

“It was amazing! I got so much stuff, I don’t even know what to do with it,” Ellie answered with a sparkle in her eye. “Tommy gave me a new rifle.”

Joel laughed. “You know back in my day, we gave gifts, not weapons. Did you try it out?”

“Not yet. Tommy said we’d go for a hunt next week. He had things to take care of before that. Which reminds me, I saw Arin before we left. He seems okay.”

“Yeah, I saw him too. He needed to get the bullet pulled out.”

“What happened though?” she asked about the ambush.

“We were just by the Crossin’ when Arin got shot in the leg,” he answered. “His horse got spooked and threw him off.”

“Jesus. That’s gotta hurt.”

“I bet it did. Thankfully, there was enough cover. Thought we were done for. But the raiders gave up when they realized we weren’t goin’ down without a fight.”

“That’s lucky then,” Ellie said. “Tommy said he and Susan had to clear out an entire group last month.”

“Yeah, there’ve been a lot of them in that area. Anyway, I thought it’d be better if Arin didn’t move a lot. We spent the night nearby and left in the morning.”

“Maria said he’s going to have some permanent effects on his leg.”

Joel sighed. “He is. Don’t think he’ll be running any trades or scouts any time soon.”

“That sucks. He can run the bar, at least,” Ellie said. “Honestly, he does a better job over there than Matt.”

“That he does,” Joel agreed. “I got a vintage whiskey bottle from Steve.” Steve was the leader of the community they had just traded with. “I was plannin’ on enjoying it myself, but I think Arin deserves it more than I do.”

“You’re giving up your whiskey? What day is it today?” she teased.

Joel shook his head, smiling. He looked around him. The buildings were worn down, with the plant life reclaiming what was theirs. They grew out of every crack and crevice they could find, twirling around the walls and pillars. Green was everywhere, and it would be, until winter came. Then, white would prevail.

“So, what’s my surprise?” Ellie asked, bringing up the topic once again.

Joel had a birthday surprise for her up his sleeve. He had been immensely excited when he had found out about it. It had taken him a while to get it going, but he was praying it would end up being as good as he had hyped it up. He had told Ellie that he had something for her a few weeks before, but they’d have to get to the nearby town. They were supposed to go after she had celebrated her day in Jackson, and so, they had set off that morning.

“You’ll see,” he replied. “Trust me, you’re gonna love it.”

“Is this where you’ve been the past few weeks?” she asked, taking in the town. “Cause you’ve been missing a lot.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, this is where I’ve been spendin’ my time. No harm in tellin’ you now. You’re eighteen, and I want to do something for you that’s memorable.”

“You still haven’t told me what it is,” Ellie protested. “Come on, give me a hint, at least.”

“Not happening, kiddo.”

“I’m dying to know. You’ve been way too mysterious about this.”

“That’s cause it’s your birthday surprise. Now, come on. You’ll find out soon enough.”

“Fine,” Ellie conceded.

Joel smiled. There was no way he was going to tell her what it was. He had worked hard for it, and he wanted to see her expression when she saw it.

“How are you likin’ the guitar?” he asked her. She had broken her strings, and until they could replace them, he had given her his guitar.

“I think it’s better than mine honestly.”

“Well, don’t get too strung up on it,” he joked. “What?” he asked, when Ellie groaned. “It was from your joke book. Anyway, what did Tommy and Maria make for dinner?”

“There was some vegetable soup and roast chicken.”

“His famous soup, huh?”

“Don’t get me started on it,” she said, making both of them laugh. “One of these days I need to tell him that it’s really not good. I have a piece of cake saved up for you. You can have it when we get back.”

“Sounds good to me. It ain’t like I gotta be somewhere else now after this. Hey, I was thinkin’, how about after we’re done here, you come home and we’ll have a few beers and play the guitar? I’ll teach you a new song.”

“Now you’re talking,” she said.

Joel smiled.

“There’s not a lot of infected here,” Ellie noted.

“There won’t be,” he replied. “There’s a group that stays here close by. In fact, there’s one of them who we’re supposed to be meeting right now.”

Ellie followed his eyes. Next to a rusted bus down the street, stood a man. “Wasn’t he at Jackson a month ago?”

“He was. We traded with his group. I did a favor for him later and now I’m just cashin’ that in.”

“Okay, now you’re just making me way more curious,” Ellie said.

He chuckled again.

“Joel! Glad to see you could make it,” the stranger jovially greeted as the two approached him.

“Had a bit of horse problems. Adam, this is Ellie,” Joel introduced her as he jumped off his horse. He shook hands with him.

“Ah, so you’re the birthday girl. I owe my life to Joel. If he wasn’t there that day, I wouldn’t here today,” Adam said.

Ellie looked at Joel, waiting for an explanation.

“I came here after Adam had come to Jackson,” Joel said. “Tommy had sent me with a few things. While I was here, Adam wanted help with a supply run. Things went sideways, and I helped him out of a sticky situation.”

“Joel makes it sounds like it was child’s play,” Adam said. “Let me tell you, it was not. This bloater was one of the biggest things I’ve ever seen. It was almost on me, when Joel came in, guns blazing.” He mimicked firing a rifle rapidly. “I’ve never seen a man take down a beast like that. The least I could do was offer one of our prized possessions to him. Just for a bit though.”

“So, where are we going?” Ellie asked.

“It’s right down the street,” Adam answered, getting on his horse. It was a magnificent black beast that Graham would have drooled over, had he been there. “Follow me.”

“He sounds really excited to see you,” Ellie whispered to Joel.

“I think he’s just grateful I was there with him. I tell you, even I don’t know how we got outta there. Place was filled with infected. It was a stupid idea to even try.”

“When have you ever turned down something like that? You’ve gotta take it slow sometimes.”

“And we’re here,” Adam announced. He jumped off his horse and led it towards the building on the right.

“What’s here?” Ellie asked as she walked after him. It was such an old building; it took her a second to realise what it was. She looked at the ticket booth and the glass doors next to it. “Is this a movie theatre?”

Joel was unable to contain the grin spreading across his face. His expression told her everything she needed to know.

“NO WAY!” Ellie jumped in excitement. “You’re joking.”

“No, I’m not,” he said. “I know you like watching movies so we’re here exactly for that, just on a bigger screen.”

“Holy fucking shit. How do these things even exist?”

“They’re very rare,” Adam told her. “Our projector was almost busted, but Joel helped me find the parts to fix it. It’s up and running now.”

Ellie let out a few more expletives laden with joy. “What are we watching?” Ellie asked. She sounded like a child who had just been given a box full of chocolates.

Joel told her the name. “It was the only horror one they had. I’ve watched it before. It’s pretty good.”

“Don’t worry about the infected,” Adam told them as they headed inside towards the hall. “Our community’s nearby and we try and make sure we clear out any stray infected in this area. So, just go in there, and have fun. Find a seat you like here.” He halted in front of a door. “I’ll get the movie started. David’s in the projection room, so I’ll be with him.”

“How do you keep all of your equipment safe?” Ellie asked. “It’s gotta be priceless right now.”

“It is. We don’t leave it here, if that’s what you’re asking. We’ll take it back with us when you’re done here. This is just the place we usually bring it to. We don’t allow outsiders near it, but like I said, I owe my life to Joel and it’s the least I could do for him.”

“Where do you wanna sit?” Joel asked Ellie as they entered the movie hall.

It was beautiful. The carpeted aisle ran down to the screen through the middle, rows of seats on either side of it. Most of them were dusty, but it wasn’t a big deal to either of them.

“Right in the middle,” Ellie answered.

“Good call,” he said. He picked up two box-like wired things from the side and placed it near them as they took their seats. “Speakers,” he explained.

“I still can’t believe this is happening.” She looked at Joel. “You went through all that trouble for me?”

“Well, it was your birthday. And everyone should watch a movie in a theatre at least once. Fair warning though, the sound may just turn off sometimes cause we ain’t got that figured out. And the screen might blank out too.”

Ellie was still overwhelmed. “Oh man, we should’ve had some popcorn right now. Wasn’t that like a big thing in movie theatres?”

“Oh yeah,” he answered. “Back when I was kid, I damned always ended up spending my allowance on it. Wasn’t a movie without that.”

“So, what happens in this movie?”

“It’s pretty cliché if you ask me, but it’s sure as hell entertainin’. This group of friends go exploring a cave and end up releasing a demon. All you need to know.”

“That… sounds like every movie we’ve ever watched,” she said.

“Exactly my point. But you’ll have fun with this one.”

“I’m taking your word for it.”

The movie was anything but boring. The first time the demon showed up on screen, Ellie jumped out of her seat, causing Joel to burst into laughter. Her reaction was priceless and he was sure it was something he was never going to forget. They watched the rest intently, eyes glued to the screen. In that small hall, it was just the two of them making the memory of a lifetime. The infected had ceased to exist for that moment, and all the troubles weighing them down dissipated. Joel kept glancing at her, making sure that she was enjoying herself. She didn’t seem to notice, the way she was engrossed. And just like that, time flew by until the movie was over.

“How’d you like it?” Joel asked as the credits rolled up on screen and abruptly disappeared.

Ellie took a deep breath. “Best birthday gift ever.”

He laughed, leaning back comfortably in the seat. “I’m glad you think so. Movie’s as good as I remember it.”

“It is.”

She began talking about the movie. They had this discussion after every single movie they watched together, and it was Joel’s favourite part. He loved breaking down stories with Ellie. She was just as much of a movie fanatic as he was. And they shared the same interest. He smiled as she spoke animatedly. He had really wanted to be there for her birthday, but this was good too. He remembered her last birthday where he had taken her to the Museum of Prehistoric History and shown her the humongous T-Rex figure. Any time that memory crossed his mind, he would grin.

“Joel? Are you listening?”

“Hm?” He realized he had been lost in his thoughts.

“Adam’s at the door,” she told him.

He turned around, spotting the man.

“If you’re not staying the night at the town, you two should get going,” Adam advised them. “It won’t be safe to travel after daylight, even if it’s not too far.”

“It won’t,” Joel agreed, getting to his feet. “We’ll be right there.” He turned to Ellie. “Come on, let’s get going. We can talk on the way.” He picked up the speakers and put them aside.

“Hey, Joel?” he heard Ellie ask as they headed up the aisle.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for doing this. I know you had to go through a lot of trouble. So… thanks.” She gave him a hug.

Joel returned the embrace. “You’re welcome, kiddo. I just wanted you to have a good time.”

“I did,” Ellie replied. “You know, when you didn’t turn up yesterday, I got kinda worried.”

“You don’t gotta worry about me, alright? I ain’t going anywhere.”

“You promise?”

“I promise. No matter what happens, I’m always gonna be around. Now, how about that beer?”

*

**_Present._ **

“I can’t feel his pulse,” Tommy told Ellie, pressing his finger against Joel’s neck. He was breathing sharply, clearly distraught. “He’s not breathing either.”

Ellie kept the wound pressed with her hands. The blood oozed out from between her fingers. She used one hand to wipe the tears every few seconds, smearing red across her cheek. She refused to believe he was gone.

She looked at the unmoving figure of her guardian, as a numbness began enveloping her. They had stuck by each other for so many years, it was unimaginable any other way. And that thought proceeded to wrack her body with more sobs.

Suddenly, Joel’s head lifted and he took a sharp breath like a dead man given life. He coughed loudly, sending a few drops of blood onto the floor. A thin strand of scarlet and spit dangled from his lips as he stared ahead of him, eyes wide open.

“Joel!” Ellie was instantly flooded by relief.

Tommy crouched next to his brother.

Joel looked down at the hilt sticking out his body. “What’s happenin’?” he asked, his voice faltering.

“Don’t move,” Tommy urged. “Abraham stabbed you. We need to get you out of here.”

“Goddamn…” Joel mumbled, before groaning.

“Amir!” Ellie exclaimed. “We can get Joel to him and he’ll able to do something!”

“That’s a good idea, Ellie,” Tommy agreed. “Cut Dina out. I’ll help Joel up. We don’t have much time. Hurry!”

Ellie picked up her bloody knife from next to Abraham’s corpse. She quickly cut the restraints of the dazed girl and helped her stand. She looked at Tommy, who already gotten Joel up. She still couldn’t believe he was alive, but it wouldn’t be for too long if they didn’t get help.


	19. Against the Clock

The four headed out of the room, leaving the cold, dead body of Abraham in their wake. The corridor right outside was empty, snaking out of their view. There was laughter echoing from around the bend. There had to be a small group of Fireflies that were in their way.

It wasn’t easy carrying Joel. Tommy had to use both his arms to keep him moving. He had to pull the knife out first. Leaving it inside would only injure Joel further while moving. The wound had bled even more when the weapon was removed, worrying them.

Joel had barely responded to it. He was past the pain. His face had gone a ghastly white and he was mumbling incoherently to himself. He was shivering as well. Tommy had made him keep his hands pressed against a cloth on his wound.

Ellie had taken point. She had swapped out her bolt action rifle for an assault that was lying in the corner with a couple of magazines. It was much faster. Dina, too, had her pistol out, but she was still unsure of herself. She had to have been helped up by Ellie, but now that she was on her feet, she could walk by herself. Out of the four of them, only Ellie would be able to use her weapon properly.

Her hands still shook from everything that had transpired in the room. She kept glancing back at Joel, as if mentally willing him to stay strong. To not give into the pain. She could hear Tommy trying to talk to Joel to keep him awake. If he passed out, there was no guarantee he would awake once again.

She tried to push the thoughts of his fate out of her mind, and instead focus on getting them out of there alive. Her heart seemed to be beating in her throat and even with the cold, her palms were sweaty.

As they neared the corner, Ellie poked her head around the side, spotting four members of the group sitting in a circle. Abraham had probably not wanted them near the room, but close enough that he could get them when needed. They were well within the range of her weapon.

“We need to be careful about this,” Tommy warned them. “They’re armed. We can- Ellie, no!”

As soon as Ellie had laid eyes on them, she felt an intense hatred burn within her. Strafing out without a warning, she pressed the trigger and watched the carnage unfold. The sickening sound of bullet cutting through flesh filled the air as she sprayed the rounds. The clueless men and women screamed, but Ellie had no mercy. It was all over in a matter of a few short seconds.

The last body slumped against the chair, before Ellie seemed to come back to her senses. She looked at the stunned faces of Tommy and Dina.

“Doesn’t matter,” Tommy said, shaking himself out of it. “All of us need to make it out alive. They’ll have heard the gun.”

Ellie glanced at Dina, who hesitantly nodded at her.

As they neared the stairs, the door swung open and in walked a man. There was a second of pause as he saw them and realized something had gone terribly wrong. He reached for his gun, but Ellie beat him to it.

The bullet roared out of her barrel. There was a flash of yellow before the metal struck him square in his face. He fell backwards.

Ellie stepped over the twitching body, reloading as she began descending the stairs. The sun was just making its way over the horizon, covering the buildings with a faint, nearly undetectable, orange.

They were only a couple of floors high. As they made it to the lower landing, the glass windows of the emergency exit exploded in a cacophony of bullets. They were showered with shards just as they ducked under. There were more Fireflies who had caught a glimpse of them from the corridor on the other side of the door. There was another flight of stairs that they had to get down, but if they walked out right now, they would get riddled with bullets.

“Cover Joel and me,” Tommy told the two girls. “We’ll go down first.”

Ellie nodded, waiting for his signal. When he was ready, she blindly fired back at the Fireflies through the window. The yells in response told her she had them halted for at least that instant.

She watched Tommy support Joel as they descended the stairs. “Dina,” she called out. “Go with Tommy. I’ll hold them off for a while.”

“What? I’m not leaving you here alone.”

“Just trust me. I got this. Tommy’s alone with Joel. If there any more Fireflies down there, they won’t be able to fight back. Go and help them. Get to where we climbed over the wall, okay? I’ll meet you there.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Yep. Go. We don’t have too much time.” Ellie had no idea what she was going to do, but getting all of them killed wasn’t what she wanted.

“Okay,” Dina conceded. She paused. “Come back in one piece, okay?”

“I will.” She fired off a few more shots. “Now!”

The other girl swiftly disappeared around the stairs.

Ellie checked her magazine. There were only a couple of bullets left. Cursing, she took a gamble and stole a quick glance through the window and fired another round. A scream echoed right after. There were still more Fireflies in there than she could handle.

She returned to cover just as the shots grazed by her head. She racked her brain for anything that might hold them off. If she allowed them to follow the others, they wouldn’t get back to the sewers. She had her knives, but they wouldn’t be useful in that situation.

She was torn out of her thoughts as something came flying out and landed with a small clang next to her. Time slowed down as her eyes fell upon it. The small round object had no pin in it, ticking down slowly to her death.

Ellie’s movements were mechanical. Acting purely on reflex, she grasped the grenade and lobbed it back in.

No more than a second later, there was an ear-shattering blast. An inferno of orange and yellow lit up the dark area. If the doors weren’t between Ellie and the grenade, it would have blown her to bits. The impact threw them off their hinges, smacking her.

A white-hot pain erupted in her face and her chest as she landed on the stairs, sliding downwards till she hit the landing. The wind knocked her out of her, her vision was dazed. She felt warm liquid in her mouth. Her whole body was on fire.

Once the feeling of being suffocated had passed, she pushed herself up. Coughing, she saw the scene. Fire and smoke separated her and the Fireflies. Knowing she had bought them just enough time, she got up, weakly clutching her rifle. She spat out the blood from her mouth and then hobbled down the last flight of stairs into the basement parking, panting.

It was quiet. She moved as quick as she could to the ramp, the pain hindering her. She noticed the two new bleeding bodies that had been added. There was yelling coming from all around. She heard footsteps closing on her and threw herself behind a car, just as a group of Fireflies proceeded to the basement. They were armed to the teeth.

Holding her breath, she waited for them to pass. The snow felt like a blessing on her wounds and she would have laid there forever, if not for the urgency that gripped her. She stood up, and ensuring that it was safe to move, she sneaked off to where she had told Dina to wait for her. Jumping the wall caused her further agony, but once she had, and crouched behind the tree, looking for them.

A barely audible whisper caught her ear and she looked in its direction.

It was Tommy.

“What happened to you?” Tommy asked, concerned as she got to them. “What were you doing?”

“What do you mean? I had to make sure they didn’t follow us.” Ellie said. She knew she was bleeding, but had no idea what injuries she had.

“You’re missing a tooth,” Dina answered, worried. “And your lip’s bleeding and swollen. Your nose seems broken too.”

“Jesus.” She didn’t know it that was bad. A lot of it was just dull throbbing, but the real pain came from her limbs.

“We heard a blast. Are you okay?” Tommy questioned, keeping his grip tight on Joel. He still seemed unaware of what was happening.

“Yeah,” Ellie answered. “They threw a grenade at me, but I managed to chuck it back just in time. Got hit by the doors though.”

“Doesn’t seem like any of the shrapnel got you.”

“It didn’t.” She looked at the hospital. “Are you guys okay?”

“We are,” Tommy replied. “They’ll see us if we stay here. Come on.”

The sewer entrance wasn’t far off, but they had to keep stopping. Daylight was coming and they no longer had the natural cover of the night.

The grenade had alerted all of the Fireflies. Multiple groups ran past them on the road towards the hospital. Even armored cars drove by them. As long as the four stayed still when there were people nearby, they wouldn’t be spotted. Ellie wondered how long it would take for them to find Abraham’s corpse.

Finally, the entrance loomed in front of them. Now all they needed to remember, was how to get back to Amir.

*

The tunnels were silent as they headed back to the underground sanctuary. Ellie found herself mindlessly fiddling with the rifle in her hands. Her mind was too occupied. She repeatedly checked up on Joel, hoping that he would say something that told her he was going to be okay, but nothing like that happened.

The quiet between them was getting to her, but there was nothing she wanted to say either. She was in a turmoil, and that kept gnawing at her.

“It was that way,” Tommy said as they came to the final junction.

Ellie sprinted to the gates as soon as she spotted and rattled it with all her energy. It reverberated loudly through the tunnels. Someone in there had to have heard that. She swallowed, not even giving it a second before gripping the metal again. Just as she was about to shake it again, a figure appeared around the corner.

“What are you doing back here?” Greg asked, alarmed as he recognized them. “You can’t be here!”

“Please. We need help,” Ellie begged, pointing to Joel. “He’s bleeding out and I don’t know how longer he can hold out. Please!”

“You’ll bring them down on us! I can’t-”

“I swear, you won’t see us ever again after this. Just save him!”

He looked torn. “Get in,” he finally said, unlocking the door. He helped Tommy bring Joel in. “Amir’s gonna kill me.”

They encountered Amir right as they entered the sanctuary. He had come to investigate the source of the ruckus. His eyes widened as he saw them.

“I thought I told you-” he began.

“He needs help,” Tommy interrupted him. “You’re a doctor. You know what to do.”

“You just let them in?” Amir asked Greg, directing his ire towards him.

“We can’t let people just die like that, Amir,” Greg defended himself.

“What if the Fireflies saw them come down here? Do you know-”

“They didn’t!” Dina yelled. “We were careful.”

“I can’t have Abraham ordering his men in here! Why don’t you understand that?”

“Abraham is dead,” Tommy told him. “Ellie killed him.”

“She- what?” Amir looked at Ellie, his mouth agape. There was a sudden shift in his demeanour. He looked at Joel. “Your friend looks bad,” he noted. “Bring him into my study. Now!”

They laid Joel on the table. Amir instructed Greg to bring his equipment while he inspected his patient.

“How is he even walking?” he asked.

“You need to do something!” Ellie urged him. “You can’t let him die!”

Amir took the scissors and cut open Joel’s clothes. An ugly wound greeted him. The gash had, however, stopped oozing blood now.

“What do you think?” Tommy asked solemnly.

“I can’t promise anything. It’s a miracle he has survived this long. I’ll disinfect the wound first.” He glanced at Ellie and Dina, who had their eyes glued to him. “I can’t work with so many people here.”

“Ellie, Dina. Sit outside for a while.”

“What? I’m not-” Ellie began protesting.

“GO!” Tommy roared. “We don’t have time for this.” He turned to Amir again. “What do you need me to do?”

“You can…”

As Tommy, Greg and Amir began to work on Joel; Ellie and Dina left the room. Ellie slid down against the wall outside, burying her face in her hands. She wanted to cry, but the tears refused to come. She was exhausted, and the pain was setting in once again.

“Hey, he’s gonna be alright, okay?” Dina said soothingly, placing her hand on Ellie’s shoulder.

“What if he’s not? What if he doesn’t make it?”

“Joel is tougher than that, Ellie. You know how he is. He won’t give up.”

“This is all my fault,” Ellie said. “He saved me and now he’s paying the price for it.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Dina replied. She sighed and sat down next to Ellie. “You know, for him it matters that you’re safe.”

Ellie chuckled without mirth. “That doesn’t make me feel better.”

Dina shook her head. “It’s not meant to. It’s the truth. He did everything in his power to keep you safe. And he succeeded. You have a life that you love. It was the right thing to do.”

“I don’t want to lose him, Dina. I’m not ready for this.”

“I know you’re not. Look, he’s still here. And if I’m sure about anything, it’s that Joel’s a fighter, alright? We’re going to take him home after this.”

Ellie nodded. “We will,” she affirmed. “I just wish I’d spoken to him sooner. What if I don’t get the chance?”

Dina clasped Ellie’s hand with her own and laid her head on her shoulder.

Strangely, Ellie felt comforted. She rested her own head against Dina’s. She knew there was nothing the other girl could say to her words. Only time would have the answers.

*

“What happened in there?” Amir asked as he took a look at the wound.

Tommy recounted the tale of the past night to him. Amir’s face was flooded with relief as Tommy told him once again that Abraham was indeed dead.

“I never thought anyone would be able to get rid of that man,” Amir said. He put down the disinfectant.

“I shouldn’t have gotten the kids into this,” Tommy said, regretfully. He should have just left them at his hideout and come alone. “What about Joel?” he asked, gesturing at the congealed blood that had started crusting around the wound.

“It’s not superficial.”

Tommy cursed. “What can we do?”

“Well, the way the knife must have gone in, none of the major vessels have been ruptured. If they had, he would not have lasted more than a few minutes. But I think the liver has been damaged.”

“Shit. Something you can do?”

“Not here, no.”

“There must be something,” Tommy urged. “Sewin’ the wound, maybe?” He knew the answer to that.

“That won’t help at all. It’s a deep cut. There’s organ and tissue damage. Your only hope is to find someplace where they can operate. I don’t have the resources for that. He needs to get proper medical help.”

“How long does he have?” Tommy asked. His mind was already weighing out the possibilities of what he could do.

“That’s up to him,” Amir replied. “He’s survived a bad stabbing. But I would say not more than a day.”

“Back home,” he started, “I think we have everything we need to treat him. But we won’t get there in time.”

“Home?”

“Jackson,” Tommy replied. “In Wyoming.” He had seen a few stab wounds in Jackson, and Beth knew how to work with them. If he could get Joel to her, there was a chance.

“That’s…” Amir was in thought.

“A few hours by car. Maybe more with this weather. We don’t have the time to go fixin’ up a vehicle right now.”

Amir was silent as he opened a cupboard and pulled a clean cloth out. “Help me tie this around him. It’ll keep the pressure on.”

Joel hadn’t moved a muscle through the ordeal. He lay there, eyes closed. The only thing that told them he wasn’t dead was his faint pulse and his barely detectable breathing.

“I hope I don’t regret this in the future,” Amir suddenly said, “but I have something that can help you,”

“What?” Tommy’s ears perked up.

“Outside the walls. I have a car in one of the garages. It’s rarely used. You can take it.”

He was taken aback at the man’s offer. Twice in one night he had helped them. “Well… that’s… thank you.”

“You killed Abraham for us, and you got us the meds we needed. It would be terrible of me to not pay you back for that.”

Tommy felt a surge of energy. “How far is it?”

“The car? It will take half an hour if we set out right now.”

“Then let’s. I’ll go talk to the girls.”

*

The two girls had had the same reaction as Tommy. They were just as surprised. Things were beginning to look up once again and once Amir had tended to Ellie’s wounds as well, they were on the way back to the entrance outside the walls, led by Amir and Greg.

It was much easier to move Joel with Greg helping Tommy. The cloth was still tightly wound around his abdomen. Ellie could see the change in him. The gaunt face told her they were on the clock.

The garage was much closer than they expected. Inside an unassuming alleyway, the car was locked behind a shutter. Amir took out the keys and unlocked it. It smelled musty inside and a few rats scurried across the floor towards shelter.

They laid Joel down on the backseat. Ellie would sit with him, while Dina and Tommy would be in the front.

“I don’t know how to thank you,” Tommy told Amir as he took the keys to the car from him.

“You don’t have to,” Amir replied. “You have done more than enough for us. All three of you.” He looked at Ellie. “I will forever be in your debt for Abraham. And for Nancy.”

“I hope we meet under better circumstances next time,” Greg said.

“One day,” Tommy said. “Thanks, again.”

“Do you know the way back?” Amir asked.

“I’ll figure it out.”

“There’s a map in the glove compartment. That could help you.”

Tommy nodded. “We’ll get goin’ now.”

They got into the car. Ellie carefully lifted Joel’s head and placed it on her lap. He looked asleep, almost peaceful. The car started after a few turns of the key, and Tommy slowly backed it out of the garage.

As the daylight arrived, Ellie looked at Amir and Greg one last time, before they set off back to Jackson.

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. It's been a busy few weeks :/**


	20. Amaranthine

Joel blinked unsurely, his eyebrows furrowing. He was watching TV with his legs rested on the center table in front of him. The light from the screen cast a colorful glow around the room. He could swear he had been somewhere else just a second ago, but where? He had no idea how he had gotten to the TV and… wherever he was.

He looked around. It was familiar, a little too much. The flooring, the paint on the walls, the color of the furniture, the view from the windows. It felt like he knew it well, but it more like something from a past memory. Then, it hit him. He was home. _His_ home _._ _Before_ the outbreak. How was that possible? 

The TV was playing one of those cartoons that he usually found Sarah watching when he came home in the evening. It was a fairly common occurrence. He would arrive to find the TV on, and Sarah in her bedroom. But why couldn’t he remember anything?

He pinched his hand and contrary to what he expected, it hurt. Everything seemed too real. It wasn’t like a dream, where it was all foggy and he moved really slow, where he just somehow knew that it was a figment of his imagination and he could wake up if he wanted to. So… was everything else just a dream then? The cordyceps infection… Boston … the Fireflies… Ellie.

He sat up. He could remember her face clear as day. It couldn’t fathomably have been in his head. That entire journey across the country. It was all too vivid. He had watched the horrors of the world. The military. The militant groups. All those things he did to survive, all those people he met…

“Hey dad.”

Joel nearly jumped out of his skin. He had completely missed the sleeping body next to him on the couch. It stirred, pushing itself up until it faced him.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Sarah commented.

He looked at her, at a loss of words.

“You okay?” she asked with concern.

“Uh… yeah. I… Sorry, I was thinking of something,” he stuttered.

“You do that a lot nowadays. Is it about what Uncle Tommy said?”

_What Uncle Tommy said? What did he say?_

“Yeah… it’s what he said.”

Sarah nodded sleepily. “You don’t have to worry. We’ll get through it.”

“I know,” he replied. What was happening to him? Why was he feeling so out of place, yet like he belonged there? “How was your day?”

“I didn’t do much. You left early, and I think you forgot to make breakfast so I made my own and watched TV for a while.”

“Uh… sorry about that. What’d you make?”

“Fried eggs. Easiest thing to make.”

“That’s true,” Joel said. He sighed. He was sure he was just really tired and had had a particularly realistic dream the previous night. There couldn’t have been any cordyceps brain infection. That sort of thing was only fantasy. He turned towards Sarah, suddenly overcome as he enveloped her in his arms. “I missed you.”

“In just a few hours? What’s come over you?”

“Nothing. I just missed you is all.”

“If you say so. You like the watch?”

Joel looked at the gift she had given him. He expected to see it cracked, but there it was, pristine as the day he had put it on for the first time. “It’s great.” He looked at her.

“Dad…? What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked uncertainly.

Swallowing hard, he contemplated his next words. “This isn’t real, is it?”

Sarah kept silent for a heartbreaking moment before smiling sadly. “No, it’s not.”

“And you’re not here either?”

“No,” she answered.

“What is this then?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I guess everyone has something they see when they’re dying.”

Joel took a deep breath. “I’m dying?”

“You’re hurt.”

He rubbed his face and leaned back. “Can’t say I never saw this day coming,” he whispered. Was this where he would be if he died? Was this the afterlife? “If I let go, does that mean I get to stay here?”

“Is that what you really want?”

It had been so long since he had seen her.

“It’s not, right?” She wrapped her arm around his and rested her head on his shoulder. “You have to let go of what’s happened, dad.”

“It’s not easy, Sarah,” he confessed. “There are days when I think I’m over it, but there are ones where I truly wish you weren’t gone. It’s hard to get over you being gone. No matter how many years it is, I still think of you. You were the only thing that ever mattered to me. Everything I did was for you. And… the way they took you, it wasn’t fair. It killed me. No one should have to go through that. I didn’t even get to say goodbye. Hell, I didn’t want to.”

“You didn’t, but now you can.”

He appeared confused. “What do you mean?”

“It’s your choice. You can choose to give up, or you can try everything to wake up. But before you do anything, you should see this.” She picked up something from the side-table and handed it to him.

It was a picture of Ellie, Tommy, Maria and him. He remembered everything about it. The photo was a couple of years old, from his birthday. Tommy had gone through lengths to find someone who had a working camera. The four stood under a tree, striking a comedic pose as they giggled at the lens. The sun beat down on them, and he recalled what a pleasant day it had been. They had spent it hiking through the woods on his request, and had come back home with a large catch from the lake.

“How is this here?” he asked.

“Sometimes you see things your mind wants you to see. Do you really want to be here when everything is out there?” she asked him.

“I don’t know.”

“You do. You’re just afraid that it will end. That when you go back, you won’t be able to protect them.”

“What if I can’t? I couldn’t even save you.”

“There was nothing you could do. You were the best dad I could have ever asked for. Things sometimes happen and… you just have to live with them. But, there’s so much more for you, dad. You have a family again. You have people waiting for you. You have a daughter there. So, go. I’ll be waiting here.”

Joel sat quiet. Then, he held his daughter close. “I love you, Sarah,” he told her one last time, misty-eyed.

She smiled. “I love you too. Now, close your eyes.”

*

Ellie sat on the wooden floor of the outpost; her legs pulled up to her chest. It was early morning. The fading black of the night danced with the rising orange of the day in the distance. There was a chill in the wind. It had snowed heavily over the night, and now, there were volunteers gathered in front of the gates, clearing the snow.

They were just visible from where Ellie was. She could hear the murmur of conversations, but she had no desire to be a part of it. The outpost where she was currently, was rarely used anymore, owing to its rickety foundations. No amount of repair could seem to keep it from wobbling dangerously in the winds. It still, however, provided a good vantage point, so it was left alone to be used only when necessary. After that, it had become Ellie’s safe place. Anytime things were bad or were too much for her, she would come and sit there. Sometimes, she would bring Dina or one of the others.

She had gone there in the middle of the night, carrying with her the file from the hospital. It now sat open on her lap, the pages fluttering whenever a strong wind blew past. She had read it again and again until she had the record memorized by heart. Going through it soothed her.

It had been a week since they had returned from Salt Lake City. It had been a blur of events for Ellie. All she remembered from the travel was the stretch of the last few miles. The bridge had collapsed sometime in the winter, so they had to walk the rest of the way. With a man who wasn’t even capable of walking by then, it had proved to be a feat.

The whole community had been shaken by the state Joel was brought in. Beth had taken a look at him and had instantly declared him critical. They had started operating on him within the hour. And even after that, there was no guarantee that he would come out of it alive. He had lost a dangerous amount of blood.

Ellie had spent most of the week up in the outpost. In the mornings though, it had become habitual for her to visit Joel’s room and check up on him. She would sit there for a bit, waiting for him to wake up, before she retired to the outpost. The chances for his survival were looking bleaker by the day.

The thumping of boots against the ladder caught her attention. Craning her neck, she waited for the person to show up. A few seconds later, Dina’s head popped up and she pulled herself up.

“Thought I’d find you here,” Dina said. Her breath misted as she spoke. She looked at the whitened trees outside the walls. “How are you holding up?”

Ellie shrugged.

“It’s freezing up here.”

“Yeah.”

“I brought you some bread,” the dark-haired girl told her, pulling out a small container from within her jacket.

“I don’t want it.”

“I’ll leave it next to you then. You can have it when you want.”

Ellie stared at the container and without a conscious thought, reached for it. She opened it, and picked up a slice. It was still warm.

“I just made it,” Dina said.

It gave off a yeasty, sweet aroma that compelled Ellie to take a bite. It was just how she liked it. It tasted of comfort.

“I have more back at my place. If you want, I can go get it.”

Ellie shook her head as she took another bite.

Dina noticed the file. “You’re reading that… again?”

Ellie looked down and closed it, laying it on the side.

“You spoke to Tommy about it?”

“No… I wanted to talk to Joel first.”

“Yeah. I guess he might know what to do,” Dina replied. “Did Beth say anything?”

“She said nothing’s changed,” Ellie answered grimly. “He’s alive so far but… he might not wake up.”

“Fuck.” Dina leant against the railing, sneaking a quick glance behind her to make sure she wasn’t going to fall off. “That’s shitty.”

“It is.”

“You know, on an unrelated note… I thought you might wanna come over to my place for dinner tonight?”

“I don’t know.”

“Come on, I’ll make something you like. Maybe we can watch a movie. Like that weird werewolf one you were talking about.”

Ellie chuckled despite herself as she thought of it. “You sure? I might just sit there and do nothing.”

“That’s totally fine,” Dina said. “I think it’ll be good for you too. You’ve been up here for too long and you’re going to catch a cold soon.”

“That’s the least of my worries. Tommy tried to invite me home yesterday. Didn’t feel like it.”

“It’s okay. Do what you feel like… other than sitting here.”

Ellie smiled tiredly.

“Ellie!” a voice called from below.

She sat up, wondering who was yelling her name.

“It’s Maria,” Dina told her as she looked over the railing.

“There you are!” Maria said out loud as she spotted Ellie. “I’ve been looking all over for you!”

“What’s wrong?” Ellie asked, a pit forming in her stomach.

“It’s Joel! He’s awake. He wanted to see you.” She waited for Ellie to climb down the ladder. “What were you doing up there?”

“It’s… I… Doesn’t matter. Is he okay?”

Maria nodded. “I gave him a bit to eat right now. He looks fine. Weak, but he’ll make it.”

Ellie looked up at the sky as she slowly exhaled. The relief washed over her like a tidal wave.

“Go on… he’s waiting for you.”

*

“Hey,” Ellie greeted Joel as she entered the room. He was sitting up, his back leant against the headboard of the bed. The blanket covered the lower half of his body. He had lost a few pounds. His beard had been completely shaved off to accommodate the stitches. She still hadn’t gotten used to seeing him like this.

“Hey, kiddo,” he replied, his face lighting up.

“This early?” she asked, noticing the glass containing the amber liquid on his bedside.

He chuckled. “It helps with the pain. I gotta cope with the fact that I got no beard too. Have a seat.” He moved his legs so she could sit on the bed.

“It doesn’t look too bad. How are you feeling?”

“I’ve had better days. Still hurts if I move, but that’s probably nothin’ compared to the fact that I’m alive. How are you doing?”

“I’m okay,” she answered. “What about your wounds?”

“It’s gonna take a while to heal. Beth says I got lucky. None of the vital organs were touched and it didn’t get infected either.”

“I’m glad.”

“What’s that?” Joel asked, noticing the file.

Ellie was quiet for a moment. She laid her hand on the file, fingers grasping the edge before she let it fall back onto the soft bed. She sighed. “It’s nothing. Nothing important for now, at least. It can wait. We’ll talk about it when you’re back home.”

“You sure? We can talk about whatever’s on your mind.”

“I’m sure.”

“Alright. Tommy and Maria were here when I woke up,” he said. “They both could use some sleep, the way they look.”

“Yeah, it’s been rough for them. I told them about Jene.”

“Tommy said. I never saw it comin’. Should have, y’know? The way she was behaving. I let my guard down.”

“We all thought she was one of us. We’ve known her for a long time. At least, you have.”

“We have,” Joel agreed. “She was a good friend. This is gonna bring up a lot of problems with New Town.”

“Maria said she’d figure something out. She always does.”

“She will.” He paused. “Tommy said you killed Abraham.”

“I didn’t plan to,” she confessed. “I saw him stab you and I… just lost all control over myself.”

He nodded. “Thank you for everything that you did.”

“It’s what you would have done too. What happened there?”

“Nothing good. They-”

The door squeaked open and Beth entered the room. She was a few years elder to Joel. Her blonde hair was tied carefully into a bun. She carried a fresh bandage in her hand.

“Hey Ellie,” she said.

Ellie greeted her back. She watched as Beth placed the bandage on the table.

“We’ll change your dressing in a bit,” the doctor said. “Not a good idea to leave it on for too long.”

“Sure,” Joel replied.

“I’ll be back then.” She eyed both of them. “Don’t stress him out,” she told Ellie. “Okay? Otherwise I’m going to ask you to leave.”

“Okay,” Ellie affirmed.

Beth nodded and left.

“So… When are you allowed to go back home?”

“Well… ‘bout a week,” Joel replied. “What are you doing today?”

“Didn’t have anything in mind,” she answered. “Dina invited me to dinner, but that’s it.”

“How’s she doing?”

“She’s good. Anyway, I’ll let you rest for a while before Beth comes back and throws me out,” Ellie said, getting up. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Sounds good,” Joel replied.

She was about to speak again, but instead, picked up the file and left the room.

*

“This was really fucking good,” Ellie said, shoving the last spoonful of food into her mouth. She didn’t remember the last time she ate so much.

“Glad you liked it,” Dina replied, grinning. Her spoon lay neatly on her cleaned plate.

“Have I ever told you what a good cook you are?”

“Now you’re just buttering me up,” she replied as they both laughed. “What do you want to do now?”

“Honestly, I could even just sit quietly,” Ellie said. “We haven’t had a chance to do that in a while.”

“You know, I actually have a nice bottle of wine with me,” Dina remembered. “We could have that.”

“You’re telling me that now? Come on. Let’s have it.”

“Make yourself comfortable on the couch. I’ll be right out.”

Ellie got up from the chair and stretched. She sighed as she heard the cracking sounds of her joints. Dina’s house was similar to Ellie’s, in the fact that it was small as well. It was well-organised. The red rug on the floor was one of Ellie’s favourite places to sit, but after having eaten such a lot, the couch was a no-brainer.

She looked at the books neatly stacked on the shelves and felt nostalgic. They were of every genre and Dina was proud of them. Ellie had spent countless hours lying haphazardly on the rug, buried in the pages.

Dina returned with the bottle from her bedroom just as Ellie plopped herself down onto the couch. She pulled out two glasses from the cupboard and filled them up halfway through, handing one to Ellie.

“Music?” she asked.

“Mmhmm,” came the reply.

The music filled the house. Dina always knew what songs Ellie liked. It instantly put them both in a good mood.

“I met Jesse today,” Dina said. “He said Maria’s stopped the scouts for now.”

“Because of New Town?”

“That and if there are still any Fireflies around,” Dina replied. “We don’t need more of our people getting attacked.”

“We don’t. I just hope they don’t come back because of what we did.”

“Hope not. You like it?” Dina asked, changing the topic as she gestured at the wine in Ellie’s hand.

“Oh yeah. How long have you had this?” Ellie asked as she took a sip. It had a sweetish tinge to it that she enjoyed.

“I think a month. I wanted to open it with you then, but then everything happened.”

“Yeah… But it’s all okay now. At least, I think it is.”

“It is,” Dina asserted. “Things will get back to normal now.”

“I hope so,” Ellie said. “I could do without anything happening for a while.”

“I second that. I can’t believe half the things we’ve been through.”

“Me neither.” She set her glass down. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to say to you. The past few weeks have been really bad, and I didn’t even know if we were going to survive any of it. But… I’m glad you were there with me. You put your life in danger and helped me find Joel. You could have just let me go alone, but you didn’t. You looked after me when I wasn’t right in the head, and behaving all impulsive. Through all of it, you stuck by me… and… I guess what I’m trying to say is… thanks. You’re amazing.”

Dina stroked Ellie’s hand. “I wouldn’t have let you do this on your own. Ever.”

Ellie didn’t know what came over her, but she suddenly leant forwards and kissed Dina. She slid her hand over to Dina’s cheek, touching it gently as their tongues met, slow at first but getting heated every passing second. The wine had travelled to her head, making her feel lightheaded.

Ellie broke away, locking eyes with Dina before pushing her against the back of the couch. In one swift move, she straddled the girl. She watched in glee as Dina’s expression turned into one of surprise, but that was only momentary. Their lips met again with a heightened sense of urgency.

She found Dina’s hand caress her before slipping under her t-shirt and freely exploring her. Her cold hands traced the curves of her warm skin, a feeling that caused explosions in her head. She reciprocated by moving her lips down to Dina’s neck, instantly causing her to moan. She could feel her hot breath against her own neck, and it excited her, knowing that she was in control.

Ellie, solely relying on her urges now, lifted Dina’s shirt over her head and threw it to the side. Admiring her, chest heaving, she was about to pounce back but Dina spoke.

“Bedroom?” she asked, her eyes all but telling Ellie she wanted her.

Ellie could only nod.

*

Ellie woke up to find Dina asleep next to her. She turned to reach for her watch. It was nine o’clock. She yawned and laid there in the bed for a few more comfortable moments, the blanket keeping her warm, her head nestled in the soft pillow. She looked at the other girl and smiled to herself. Then, throwing the blanket off of her, she got to her feet. Her clothes were still scattered on the floor and she quickly retrieved them, pulling them on.

“What are you doing?” Dina mumbled sleepily.

“Hey,” Ellie answered. “Morning. I thought I’d go check on Joel for a while. I told him that I’d come visit him in the morning. You want to come?”

“No.”

Ellie chuckled as Dina turned the other way and went back to sleep. She looked at her for a short minute, marveling at her girlfriend, before turning on her heels and heading towards the door.

Out in the street, the wind bit at her face, forcing her to pull her scarf closer. The cold wouldn’t last for too long now, if the previous winter was any indication. Ordinarily, by that time, it was already waning. The last couple of years had seemed to make the season last longer.

Dina’s house was just a few streets away from where Joel was. On the way, she thought of the things she needed to talk to him about. The last conversation felt closer to normal between them, but anyone who knew them could tell that it was far from that. Both of them had things on their mind that needed to be let out. Maybe she would just be straight with him and tell him what was in her head.

Upon reaching the Jackson Hospital, she walked towards his room and knocked at the door.

“Come on in,” Joel’s voice came. He had moved himself to the chair next to the bed. He had changed his clothes as well. A book lay by his side on the table. He had been reading it when Ellie had knocked the door.

“Better today?” she asked.

“Pretty good. Pain’s still there, but it’s gettin’ better. How was dinner?”

“It was fun. She cooked for us. We had some wine and I stayed there for the night.”

“What’d she make?”

“Pie. I like it.”

“Yeah, she does make it well.” It seemed like he was hesitating to say something. “Ellie, sit down. I’ve had some time to think about things between us, and I know you don’t-”

“Joel, wait,” Ellie interrupted him. “Before you say anything, I have to tell you something.” She waited for him to nod his approval before she continued. “I’ve had some time, myself, to think and I wanted to say sorry for how I reacted. You saved my life and I know it couldn’t have been easy. I’m glad about the life we have here. And with the Fireflies coming back for us and getting you, I know you went through a lot. I… am not saying I’ve completely moved past the fact that you hid it from me for all these years because that hurt me. I felt like it was something I should have been doing, but you took it away from me. It made me feel guilty because here I was, wasting my immunity, and everyone else was vulnerable. I trusted you and… it felt you like broke that trust.

“But that aside… I know that I don’t want us to become strangers. I care too much about you to walk away. So, I don’t know if any of this makes sense to you, but I want you to be around and I want complete honesty between us. No more hiding things. No more lying. Doesn’t matter how bad they are. We’ll deal with it. Together.”

Joel was clearly not expecting to hear what Ellie was saying. He was fumbling for words; thrown from the familiarity of the scenario that he had envisioned in his head. “I’m sorry too,” he finally said. “I should have just told you the truth in the first place, but I was worried. I shouldn’t have been but… I messed up there. I didn’t want anything to happen to you and I thought by not telling you, I was making things better.”

“You weren’t.”

“I realise that. I kept it from you, because I thought I was doing the right thing. I don’t know if it was but… if we’re being honest, I don’t regret it. When we set out from Boston together, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. But when it was over and we’d been through all that shit, I knew that you meant a lot to me. When Marlene told me she planned to kill you for the cure, I couldn’t let that happen because I didn’t want to lose you. I wasn’t thinkin’ straight or about humanity or anything. All I could think of was that I’d never get to say goodbye to you, or talk to you one last time. And I couldn’t do that. Not again.”

Ellie nodded slowly. “I don’t blame you. If it was you, I would have done the same. I’d never leave you behind, no matter the consequences. I know we’ll always protect each other but… just don’t lie like that again. And not after I ask you to swear it.”

“I promise.”

“Okay,” she responded, satisfied with his answer.

They sat quietly, mulling over what they had just said to each other. Neither of them knew what would come next, but it didn’t seem daunting any more. In fact, both of them felt like a weight had been lifted off their chest, a ticking time bomb that had somehow not blown up. Seemingly, it felt like things would be getting better before long.

*

**_3 Weeks Later_ **

Ellie turned the street, making her way to Joel’s house. As she neared it, she spotted Joel standing on his porch, a beer in his hand. Seeing her, he beckoned her over.

“Grab yourself a bottle. It’s in the kitchen,” he told her.

Ellie retrieved one for herself and sat down on the porch chair, facing him. She looked up at the stars in the evening sky, marveling at the sheer number of them. The way they sparkled mesmerized her.

“Tommy should be here soon,” Joel told her. There was an edge of worry in his voice.

Tommy had set out a week before for New Town, along with Arin, to talk to the others in-charge about what Jene had done. There was only so much time before Jackson would have to resume their scouts, and with uncertainty as to the alliance with their neighbor, all the scouting parties were in danger. It was absolutely necessary to cut down infected hordes before they reached the town, now that the winter was over. So, sending parties out regularly to clear them out was a necessity. Joel had insisted that he would come along, but Tommy had refused. He had said that Arin would be enough.

And so, the duo was due to return that day. They had all decided to meet at Joel’s for dinner.

“What do you think they’ll do about Jene when they find out?” Ellie asked.

“Tell her to step down and send her packin’. I know everyone there and they’re good people. They can’t risk a fight with us, and neither can we.”

“That doesn’t compensate for what she’s done.”

“It’s not about compensating,” Joel answered. “Honestly, I don’t want more violence. I’ve seen enough of it.”

“The Joel I met back at Boston would’ve been the first to pick a fight,” she recalled.

“The Joel you met just wants a quiet life now.” He chuckled at his own statement, before swirling the remaining liquid in the bottle and downing it. “I went through the file again last night.”

“And?”

“I do recall hearing something about that research facility. I mean, it was just word of mouth, so it was pretty much just baseless rumors back then. You know how it goes around. None of us even thought anyone could be made immune.”

“So, do you think I’m related to him?” Ellie asked.

“It’d be hard to ignore that,” he replied.

“You think so?”

“I do. It just all adds up. There can’t be so many coincidences.”

“Dina thought so too.” She eyed the sky. “What do you think he would be like?”

Joel chuckled. “If he’s anything like you, he’d be one hell of a survivor.”

Ellie smiled. “Wonder if he’s still out there. Looking for me.”

“He could be. If it was me, I’d never stop lookin’.”

“Yeah… I guess I can put the file away now. Don’t think I’ll be needing it anytime soon. You were right. It did make me feel better talking to you about it.”

“It does help. Another beer?” he asked, noticing Ellie’s empty one. He disappeared into the house and returned with one for her and one for himself. “I saw Dina today.”

“Oh?” She asked curiously as she opened the cap.

“I asked her to come tonight.”

“You asked her? I thought it was just going to be the four of us.”

“Well... it was. But since you’re… with her, I figured I’d get to know her better.”

Ellie went red. “You know?”

“You’re not exactly hiding it from anybody. Besides, you’ve known her for a long time. You two get along well.”

“We do. Huh, never thought I’d be discussing my romantic life with you.”

“Neither did I,” he responded. “But I’m glad you are. There’s Tommy and Maria.” He was relieved to see his brother unhurt.

Within a couple of minutes of their arrival, Dina arrived as well.

“How’d it go?” Joel asked once the five of them had settled into his living room.

“Jene’s dead,” Tommy replied tiredly.

Ellie did a double take. “Dead?” _Did they kill her?_ She exchanged a glance with Dina who was equally stunned.

“Yeah. They found her passed out in the guesthouse. Took her back home, and when they went to check back on her the next morning, she was dead. Killed herself from the looks of it.”

“Jesus.” _Why would Jene kill herself? Did she think it was some sort of redemption?_

“Did she really?” Joel asked.

“She left a note,” Tommy answered. “She explained everything she did and didn’t blame anybody for her death. Said it was the only way out for her.”

“We were there the previous night,” Dina reminded them. “And we left her tied up in the guesthouse.”

“I cleared that. I met Brian. He leads the town when Jene was out. The note mentioned you two as well, so Jackson wouldn’t get caught in it.”

“I wasn’t expecting her to do something like that,” Maria said.

“None of us were,” Tommy replied.

“So, Brian’s in charge now?” Ellie asked.

“He is. He’s the best candidate for it.”

“You saw any Fireflies?” Joel asked.

“None,” Tommy answered. “Didn’t see anybody the whole way. I was thinkin’ we could increase the scouts, now that we can send out more. We can’t be caught off-guard if there any other Fireflies. I don’t think there’ll be any, but I’d rather be prepared. And no more going out alone for anybody. Not for a while.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Maria said. “Especially you, Ellie. Any time you step out, you’re taking somebody with you.”

“Dina can come with me,” Ellie replied without missing a beat. “I think we did well together.”

“You did,” Joel agreed. “You guys want to eat? You must be hungry,” he said to Tommy.

“Without a doubt.”

Ellie helped Joel set the plates on the table. Maria had cooked for them, so she knew it was bound to be good food. Once they were done, the five of them took their seats and dug in.

Not before long, the conversation steered to making fun of each other. There was an air of comfort that Ellie found only with them. Tommy and Joel recounted stories of when they were teenagers, and it soon turned to who could outdo the other with the most embarrassing story. It had been a while since they had had an evening like that, and with Dina a part of it too, Ellie found herself wishing that that the time would never pass.

Amidst the laughter, she looked around at the animated faces at the table. A few years ago, she was a scared and lonely girl who knew only loss. Life was just about surviving the day to see the light of another. Never in all those years had she thought that she would be seated around a table with people that she could call family. All of them had their own stories. All of them loved each other dearly and would cross oceans to be with one another. It was an unbreakable bond that had been tested time and time again.

Fingers slipped into Ellie’s under the table. She instantly knew who it was, making her smile. And in that moment, she knew she was right where she wanted to be.

She was home.


	21. 2 Years Later

Ellie yawned as she sat up, her body having finally roused itself from slumber. The sunlight streaming in through the open window fell directly on her face, causing her to shield her rapidly blinking eyes until she had adjusted to the sudden intrusion. The other side of the bed was empty, and the blanket was neatly folded at the bottom.

Without looking at the clock, she knew that she had slept past her usual wake-up time. She pulled on her jeans and t-shirt. Her legs were sore from all the travel of the previous day, and her hands still ached from all the work. She tidied up the bed, something she had become particular about, and headed down the stairs.

Dina was in the kitchen, stirring the pot on the stove. The laundry was neatly stacked on a chair, and the washed utensils sat on the side of the sink. She seemed to be unaware of Ellie, so Ellie made the most of the opportunity by sneaking up on her and wrapping her arms around her from the back.

“Morning,” she whispered in Dina’s ear.

“I was beginning to wonder when you were going to get up,” Dina said, planting a quick kiss on her lips.

“Why didn’t you wake me then? You didn’t have to do everything on your own.”

“You came in pretty late yesterday. So, I thought I’d let you sleep in. Something went wrong?”

“Slightly, but nothing too serious,” Ellie answered. “I was leaving, when one of the generators blew up. I couldn’t just leave it like that, so I had to repair it.”

“What happened to it?”

“Something with the regulator. Managed to get it fixed before anything else broke down.”

“Last time I went there, it gave me problems too,” Dina told her. “I think I’m supposed to go there again next week. You can come with me and we’ll check it out then.”

“You got it.” She looked around. “Did you finish doing everything in the house? I could’ve helped, you know?”

“And then told me how you were so productive after such a long and tedious scout, for the rest of the year? No thanks.”

“Sometimes you’re too smart for your own good,” Ellie replied, grinning.

“I don’t have to be very smart when you’re the only other person in the house,” Dina jested.

Ellie recoiled in mock shock. “Below the belt, Dina. Below the belt. You know I don’t like people making fun of my stupidity.”

Dina laughed. “You’re a funny one. Alright, grab some plates for us.”

“What are you making?”

“Your favourite. I made some juice too.”

“Woah, that’s a lot of stuff. You did do a whole lot in the morning.” Ellie opened the cupboard and took out the plates.

“I can be very efficient when I need to.”

“That I know,” Ellie responded with a sly smile.

Dina chuckled. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Ellie.”

“Hey, I’m just being appreciative. If you don’t want it, I’ll take it elsewhere…”

“Don’t you dare.” She took a bite of her food. “Are you meeting Tommy and Maria today?”

“Yeah, I’ll have to,” Ellie answered. “I need to go tell them about yesterday. That reminds me, yours is tomorrow, right?”

“Uh huh,” Dina answered while chewing. “I should be back by evening, but I’ll have to leave early in the morning for that to happen.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. Joel’s coming over tonight after dinner to watch a movie. He said he got a new one. You’re gonna sit for a while?”

“I might. But I’ll go to bed sooner. Don’t want to be tired before I even leave.”

“Alright.”

Once they had finished their late breakfast, Ellie picked up their plates and headed over to the sink to wash them. The window was open and it was a pleasant morning, with a light breeze that made her want to sit down on the porch and read. Or play the guitar. It was one of those days that had laziness written all over it.

“What’s your plan for the rest of the day?” Ellie asked, shaking the water off the washed plates.

“I’ve got to see Graham. Sabre wasn’t doing okay yesterday.”

“What happened to him?”

“He’s got the cold,” Dina answered. “Graham had to keep him away from the rest, in case he managed to spread it. I’ll spend some time with him.”

“That sounds like a good idea. I need to go meet Jacob. My rifle’s been giving me problems since yesterday. Think I managed to screw something up.”

“Don’t let Tommy find out. He’ll lose his shit.”

“Not even gonna try telling him,” Ellie said. “Jacob owes me.”

“He does,” Dina agreed. “I’m gonna get going. See you in the evening?”

“Yep. I’ll see you later.”

Ellie quickly finished up the dishes, before pulling on a light jacket and heading out of the door. She’d head to Tommy and Maria’s first, and then come back for her rifle.

A lot had changed in the town since Ellie and Dina had moved in together the previous year, or so it seemed to Ellie, now that the winter had passed. Although it had been far more merciful than the previous years, the blanket cover of snow made her detest it nonetheless. With spring arriving, it seemed like things were as they should have been.

The trees danced gently with the flowing breeze as Ellie headed over to their house. The constant chatter around made her feel at ease. She caught a glimpse of the kids playing in the park. It had been a while since she had spent time with them, and she missed it. Maybe one of those days, she would get out there. They seemed to have grown up so much from the first time she had seen them.

Ellie and Dina’s house wasn’t big, but it was everything they had wanted. Ellie recalled the first time Dina had brought up the subject. They were having dinner together when it happened, and it had taken Ellie all of a second to realise that she wanted it too. After that, it seemed like things had just fallen into place for them. Tommy and Maria had a house that hadn’t been used in a few years, so the two girls made it their own. It was close to Joel’s as well, so they saw a lot more of him. Once a week, he would come over, or the two would go to his and watch a movie. It had become a ritual.

There had been more newcomers to Jackson as well. Tommy and Maria had been forced to rethink the town’s development to accommodate the influx, but they had had help by one of the newer members who was an architect. Houses were being built, and groups were sent out to secure areas outside the walls for expansion. The people, however, were as close-knit as ever.

As Ellie closed in to Tommy and Maria’s, she spotted Luna, the town’s dog. Arin had found her as a puppy a few miles north of Jackson a few months ago. Her mother was nowhere to be found, so he had brought her back and since then, she had been part of the community. The kids loved her, so there was no dearth of treats coming her way.

Ellie took a quick detour and crouched in front of Luna. “Hey, girl,” she said, scratching the dog behind her ears. She smiled as Luna wagged her tail from side to side, closing her eyes as she enjoyed Ellie’s affection. Her fur felt smooth to touch, silky to Ellie’s blistered hands. A smile was plastered on her face.

“Hey, Ellie,” a female voice said. 

For an instant, Ellie couldn’t believe her ears, thinking that she had heard Luna speak. Then she realized the voice had come from behind her, so she turned around.

“Maria, hey,” Ellie greeted the older woman. “I was just on my way to see you two.”

“Got distracted?”

She looked at Luna and shrugged. “Can’t say no to that face.”

Maria laughed. “I can’t either. Come on, Tommy’s home too and you’ve got things to tell us.”

*

As they entered the house, they found Tommy seated on the couch, his legs resting on the table in front of him.

“No legs on my furniture, Tommy,” Maria told him.

“Sorry,” he mumbled in response, hastily retreating from his comfortable position. “You found Ellie, too.”

“I thought I’d drop by and talk to you two,” Ellie said.

“Sure. Alex told us about you comin’ in late last night. What happened?”

Ellie told them about the busted generator, taking extra care to leave out the part about the rifle. She knew it was one of his favourites, to the point of being unreasonable about its wellbeing.

“I should’ve known that was gonna happen,” Tommy said. “It’s been giving us problems for a while now. Thought it would last longer though. I’ll take one of the guys up there and get it fixed next week.”

“Any infected?” Maria asked.

“Less than normal,” Ellie answered. “Just saw one and that was it.”

“Surprising. Not that I’m complaining. Anything else we should know?”

Ellie shook her head. “I haven’t seen any of the other groups around.”

“Yeah, I made sure the territory was properly distributed between us,” Tommy explained. “Don’t need any more fights happenin’.” After the New Town debacle, the town had been wary with outsiders.

“How are you and Dina doing?” Maria asked.

“We’re good. She went to see Saber. Said he was sick.”

“Graham said he was,” Tommy said. “He should be up and about in a couple of days. Wonder why he caught it though. The weather’s been fine lately.”

“You never know what happens with them.” Maria gazed out of the window. “Let’s hope the weather stay this way,” she said.

“It will. How about some coffee?” Tommy asked. “I’m makin’ some for myself anyway.”

“You ask me this question every time I come over,” Ellie complained. 

“I hear ya, but I got some really good coffee and I think it’s completely different from what you’ve had. Try it.”

“I don’t-”

“Try it,” Tommy interrupted her. Without giving her a chance to reply, he disappeared into the kitchen.

“Sometimes I wonder what gets into him,” Ellie told Maria.

“He just wants you to enjoy the things he does. If you don’t like it, I’ll drink it. Coffee never goes to waste in this house”

“You’re a lifesaver, Maria.”

Tommy returned with two mugs. He deposited one in front of Ellie and took a sip of his own, watching intently as she picked hers up and tried it.

Ellie prepared herself for making her usual disgusted face as the taste hit her tongue, but stopped herself. That coffee was unlike she had ever tried before. It didn’t have the raw, powdery taste to it that she disliked.

“Holy shit, this is good,” she admitted to his delight.

“I told you!” he said triumphantly. He turned to Maria. “Joel’s gonna kill me if he finds out he wasn’t here when Ellie actually drank the coffee.”

“He doesn’t have to know. He’ll make it his life’s mission to make me try every kind he has at home.”

Tommy laughed. He drank the rest before setting his mug down on the table and standing up, rubbing his legs. “Well, I’m off to check up on the constructions. You’re coming?” he asked Maria.

“I’ll join you later,” she answered.

“I should head out too,” Ellie said.

“Don’t forget about dinner tomorrow night,” Tommy reminded Ellie.

“I won’t. Dina might not make it though.”

“I know,” Maria said. “Esther is coming as well.”

“Oh?” Esther was one of the newer members. Joel had been seeing her for the past few weeks, but he hadn’t told Ellie anything about it being serious.

“I thought it would be good to have here. Tommy thinks so too.”

“Sure do,” Tommy affirmed. “She’s a good woman and it’s about damn time Joel got together with someone. Anyway, John will be waiting for me. I’ll see you at the site,” he told Maria.

Ellie waved a goodbye and gulped down the rest of her coffee.

“Back home now?” Maria asked.

“Yeah,” she answered. “I need to stop by the warehouse as well. Need some supplies.”

“Well, if you’re heading that way, could you do me a favour and get some bread?”

“I can. I’ll drop it by on the way back. Do you need anything else?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Okay. I’ll be back in a bit then,” Ellie said before stepping out of the house. She found Tommy standing a few houses away. “You’re still here?” she asked him.

“Waiting for John,” he answered exasperatedly, jerking his thumb at the house behind him. “Do you have anything the day after?”

“Not really. Why?”

“Well, I was thinking of going for a hunt, and we haven’t gone together in a while. You wanna come?”

“Hell yeah. Count me in.”

Tommy grinned. “Alright, we’ll talk more tomorrow. Tell Dina I said hi.”

“I will,” Ellie said as she headed back towards home.

*

Ellie was in the kitchen when she heard the front door swing open.

“Hey, babe,” she called out. “How’d it go?”

“It was good,” Dina answered. She took off her jacket and hung it on the hook next to the doorway. “He’ll get better. He seemed to like it when I was there.”

“Well, he’s been around you for a long time. It’s natural that having you there calms him.”

“Graham said the same thing. I’ll take Jack tomorrow, if that’s okay with you. No way Saber is in shape for it.”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Ellie said. “I’m going to be here, so, he’s all yours. Tommy wanted to go hunting with me the day after. I’ll need him then.”

“That’ll be good for you two. It’s been a while since you two went out together.”

“I know. Might be a good time to catch up with him, you know, one-on-one.”

“So, he can tell you more about Esther?” Dina asked, raising one eyebrow.

“Shit, sometimes the way you read me is freaky,” Ellie remarked, laughing. “But yeah, I want to know more about her.”

“Look at you, doing a background check for Joel.”

“Shut up.” The two laughed.

“Is dinner ready?” Dina asked. “I’m so tired, I swear I could fall asleep right now.”

“We can have it now, if you want. I just got done making it.”

Dinner usually took a long time between them, but that evening, it was a quick affair. Both of them were ravenous, and Ellie was a good cook. The two of them wolfed down the food, washing it down with the juice remaining from the morning.

They had just finished dinner when there was a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it,” Ellie called out as she walked to the door and opened it.

“Hey kiddo. How’s it going?” Joel asked. “I got us beers.” He held out the bag.

“Come on in.” Ellie took it and set it down on the kitchen table. “That’s quite a few of them,” she observed as she zipped it open.

“Figured with the three of us, we’d need more. Where’s Dina?”

“She just went up to the bedroom. Should be down in a second. So, are we watching anything?” she asked, a hint of excitement in her voice.

“Straight to the point, aren’t you?” Joel asked. “Open that zip.”

Ellie followed his instructions and fished out a small case from the bag.

The case looked like someone had tied it to a horse and dragged it around the country. The title was hardly visible and Ellie had to squint and hold the case close to her eyes to read it. She turned it around and tried to go through the writing, but finally gave it up.

“Where do you even get these?” she asked.

Joel grinned, like he was proud of himself. “I got lucky with a trade a couple of days ago. Guy agreed to let me have this if I let him use my gun.”

“And you let him?”

“It was too good to pass up, if you ask me.”

“He could’ve done used it on you.”

“No chance,” Joel answered. “He’d have gotten three holes in him before he tried anythin’ funny. Luckily, I didn’t have to do any of that. He tried it on a few infected and gave me the CD.”

Ellie nodded and opened two of the beers, handing one to him. “I didn’t have a chance to ask you last time. How’d your date go?”

“Pretty good, actually. She came over for dinner and I cooked. We talked for a while, had some wine, and then she went back home.”

“Romantic dinner, huh?” she teased. “Lucky gal.”

“It felt good though. I think we get along well.”

“Still can’t believe you managed to meet her because you saved her from the infected. Almost sounds like it’s out of a fairytale.”

Joel chuckled. “I was thinkin’ of taking her to the lake next week, spend some time with her in a good place. She’s still new here, so she’s never been there before.”

“That’s a good idea. Make sure she doesn’t fall on the crossing.”

“I’ll keep a watch. Hey, Dina,” he greeted as the girl came down the stairs. He gave her a hug.

“Hey Joel.” Over the years, the two of them had grown closer as well, owing to the fact that Ellie would spend a lot of time with him. “I think I’m gonna go to bed,” she told Ellie, yawning.

“This early?” Ellie asked. “I thought you’d sit with us for a while.”

“I thought so too, but I guess I’m just really tired.”

“Well, you’ll probably be gone before I wake up, so…” She put her beer down and hugged her partner. “Don’t do anything stupid and come home safe.”

“I should be saying these things to you,” Dina said, smiling. “Don’t burn down the house while I’m not here.”

“Ha ha.” Ellie watched Dina retreat up the stairs before turning her attention to Joel. “Shall we watch?”

“After you,” he answered.

Joel made himself comfortable on the couch, while Ellie inserted the CD into the player. It was an old one, so it would malfunction from time to time. And it was doing just that at the time.

“Not working?” Joel asked, noticing Ellie struggling to get it running.

“Yeah, it’s not reading it.”

“Here, let me do it.” He took the CD from her, carefully blowing over the back. He pushed the disc in. “That’s how you do it.”

Ellie shrugged. She grabbed her beer from the table and sat down just as the movie began playing. “What’s this about?”

“It’s an old classic about a spy that has gadgets and goes around saving the world. You’ll like it. This is one of the better movies from the series.”

“Have you watched the others?”

“Well… yeah,” Joel answered. “It’s been running since I was a kid. My dad used to take me to watch them. Tommy was too young for the earlier movies, but once he got older, the two of us used to go.”

“Must have been nice to just be able to go watch a movie at any time,” Ellie said.

“It’s better now. We don’t get to watch them all the time, so I’d say it’s far more exciting.”

“That’s true, Alright, it’s starting. Let me watch.”

The movie was entertaining, and had a fairly straightforward plot. It was by no means the best thing she’d ever watched, but she could see how much it meant to Joel that she was watching a movie from his past with him. The beer bottles began disappearing as the time passed by and by the end, there were only a couple left.

Ellie yawned once the credits came up. “Damn, that was good.”

“It was,” Joel agreed.

There was a momentary silence between them.

“So, should we call it a night?” Ellie asked.

“We could… _or_ we could watch another. I have the CD in the bag, and I don’t think we have anything for tomorrow.”

A smile began spreading across her face. “Let’s watch another.”

*

The man stood on the side of the hill. The holster attached to his belt shook every time the wind blew past. A rifle was slung across his back, along with his bag. It was worn out from all the years of travel. His clothes were tainted with blood, albeit, not his. The tears in them were more apparent than he would have hoped for, but he had not expected the journey to be that tedious. His weapon of choice was the sharp knife that was currently in its sheath. It had been with him since the outbreak.

His stubble poked his fingers every time he tried to scratch the scab across his cheek. The other man had thought he was an easy target, but he had clearly never fought with someone who had nothing to lose. Until he had found something.

He looked down at the town. It was beautiful and he wondered to himself how he had never heard of it before. The walls were high and he could make out the guards stationed on the lookouts. There was enough electricity to power all the lights in there. It definitely looked like a home. But he wasn’t there to seek shelter.

No.

He was there because of something that he thought was lost to him forever. Someone. A final hope for the meaning of his survival.

His hand tightly clutched the folder that he had fought so hard for. That he had had to shed blood for. That had led down to the very spot where he stood now. The scars on his hand told the tales of the experiments that were performed on him.

His eyes narrowed in on the gates. He had no idea what he was going to tell the guards, but they had to let him in. He had no idea what he was going to say to her either, or if she was even there. He was just relying on the words of a man. With a deep breath, he began walking down the slope.

All those years, and he never knew he had a daughter.

**A/N: And with that, we come to the end of The Fern that Lived! Thank you to everyone who read this story. I’m going to miss writing chapters for this, but I think this is a good place to lay it to rest, so I can work on something new. Let me know what you thought of it :D**

**I have a Dina/Ellie story coming in a couple of weeks that I’m really excited about, so I hope I’ll see you there! Until then, stay safe and wear a mask.**

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed that! Kudos and feedback is always appreciated.


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